Plastic Cars

So Plastic has this article on cars, which got me thinking. I was surprised, though not shocked, when I saw the new Mini had been supersized, presumably for the US market. The car I really want is a Mercedes SmartCar from DaimlerChrysler, which makes the Mini look positively obese. And SmartCars are possibly the cutest cars ever.



Unfortunately, due to the peculiar fascination of Americans with oversized jalopies, the SmartCar is scarcely available in the US. Imagine my pleasure, then, when I saw a DaimlerChrysler site advertising a US-specific SmartCar. Imagine my horror, also, when I saw how they plan to, yes, supersize this from a super-compact into a Miata-style sportster with only 56mpg. Or is that just a weirdly stretched GIF on top?