It was invented by the CEO of Swatch watch company. That right there should have raised some flags, and it did for many manufacturers, but not Mercedes Benz. Currently the Smart is a division of Daimler AG and its ForTwo model, currently its only offering, has been imported into the U.S. since 2008.

The Smart ForFour has never been sold in U.S. I spotted this one parked outside of the Dezer Collection Museum & Pavilion in North Miami. It arrived at the museum while I was inside, sporting New York dealer plates (snowbird dealer?). I walked around it, snapped these pictures, and asked myself how come this one was never sold here? Any how much of polluter the little turbio-diesel engine really was? What is Smarts were sold in U.S. with that engine? Would it help them achive success?