David's Diary: Friday, Sept. 21, 2001

Smart Cars

Today we drove more than 1100km covering almost the entire Northern half of France. We drove from Brittany on the Western side of France to Strasbourg in the Alsace region on the Western boundary where France meets Germany. We averaged 128km/hour by using the autoroute system in France. While the autoroutes generally charge a fee (we paid almost 300FF today), they provide a route where you can really travel fast. In Canada, we rarely see the speedometer above 110, but on the French autoroutes we often see 130 and both Karalee and I have been over 160. Our van, despite being heavily loaded, tracks well and drives comfortably at these high speeds. After awhile you get used to averaging 130km/hr, but it is not unusual to be passed by people travelling a lot faster.

What you don't see on the highway, but you do see in the city, are Smart cars. These cars are compact, ergonomic, designed by Swatch (the watchmakers), and built by Mercedes. The cars are rear engine drive and can come with or without a passenger seat. The picture above was taken in London earlier in our trip, so these cars are not just isolated to France. You see few of them on the autoroutes, but as an everyday car to commute to work in they appear really practical.

Smart Sales Display

The sales displays for Smart cars echo the funky design of the car itself. While driving around we have seen many of the Smart car cubes. We don't know how they get the cars inside, but they certainly catch your attention when you see them. This seems like an example of where Europeans are willing to stretch the boundaries of what is common and try a new solution. With parking in major French cities such as Paris at such a premium and gas more expensive, the Smart car looks like a potential solution for the city driver.