Gary North reminds us of the resemblance between the new Mercedes Smartcar and the old Messerschmitt, which I loved as a boy. But you wouldn’t want to be crashed in that car either.

UPDATE from Bruno Schwander:

The Smart has been available since 1998 in Europe. I lived in California for 10 years and I can imagine why only hippies would want to drive that car there. It just does not fit with the US car culture, nor other cars. Think of it like a safer scooter. Goes everywhere, parks on a dime, very functional. Great in big cities. Overall, I can say it is a great car: it handles very well, it uses very little gas, it is very safe (it passes all crash test standards). One of the reasons it is designed so well, is because it’s design originated in the watch industry (Swatch)… therefore novel solutions were found that brainwashed car engineers could not have imagined.

Commercially, it seems quite successful. They are everywhere in Europe. It is telling that GM rejected the proposal to manufacture it, and Daimler instead grabbed the opportunity.

I think it ironic that you deride the Smart, when this is precisely what the market is about: satisfying customers. Nobody forces anybody to buy a Smart, nor is it the only choice. Now, when Obama’s car czar decides to build the Obamobile, we can be certain it will have nothing in common with the Smart, but be a close cousin of the Trabant. That car, I will gladly mock! It is also telling that it took 10 years to get the Smart to the US… stupid government rules and diktats!

The Best of Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.