Smart Car

Tiny AutoMobile.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_(automobile)

Idea started by Nicolas Hayek (head of Swatch Watch) in the 1980s.

Started Joint Venture with Volkswagen in 1991, but Volks pulled out in 1993 when CEO changed. Joint Venture eventually switched to Daimler/Mercedes Benz (so it's now a Chrysler!). "Smart" is actually Acronym for Smart Mercedes Art.

There have been a number of models developed, but most have been eliminated. The For Two is the core offering.

It gets 36mpg, the most efficient non-hybrid on the market. (I could swear that small cars were doing better than that 20 years ago - were those just bogus manufacturer-numbers, or has Fuel Economy gotten worse?)

They're working on a hyrbrid and a pure Electric Vehicle.