Archive for the ‘fortwo’ Category

Readers of a certain age will recall a time when America's roadways were clogged with Gremlins, Rabbits, and other fuel-efficient minicars. That historical moment was caused by spiking fuel prices in the 1970s (remember when Jimmy Carter told everyone to put on a snappy cardigan?), which rear-ended a recession in the early 1980s. If you've been paying attention, you might've noticed that today's financial and automotive landscapes are looking awfully familiar....

And so, just as they did 30 years ago, every automaker worth its salt is now looking to cash in on the American compact and subcompact markets. BMW has its MINI (not to mention its...

The Smart ForTwo is impossible to ignore. It inspires adoration (because it's cute and convenient for city-dwellers) or antipathy (because it's ugly, cramped, expensive, and not nearly as green you'd think), but little in-between. That said, Smart's new print campaign designed by BBDO NY is awfully attractive -- possibly more attractive than the cars themselves. But we'll let y'all be the judge of that. [AnimalNewYork]

We hardly need mention that The Lost Symbol, the long-awaited sequel to The Da Vinci Code, is now out and available at millions of bookstores and online for your reading pleasure.

We do feel compelled to point out, though, that Dan Brown doesn't know much about cars. Or at least about Smart cars. Specifically, the Smart ForTwo two-seat city car, launched in the States for 2008 but available in Europe since 1998. In chapter 32 of The Da Vinci Code, Brown writes:

The vehicle was easily the smallest car Langdon had ever seen. "SmartCar," she said. "A hundred kilometers to the liter."

Yes, well, where to begin? The proper name of the car is the ...