Tiny Smart car faces safety questions

"Three stars is low," said Euro NCAP spokeswoman Cordelia Wilson. "Most cars get four- or five-star safety ratings."

The NHTSA has not yet said when it will conduct its own tests and Rader said his group has yet to assess it.

Some versions of the Smart car have been brought to the United States by importers directly from Europe, but modified to accommodate U.S. standards. California-based ZAP Corp. has been importing fortwos since 2005, and had to make them meet U.S. safety standards, including reinforcing the doors with aluminum cross beams and adjusting the engines to meet EPA emission standards.

Smart USA spokesman Ken Kettenbeil said U.S. tests are likely to be completed this year with the result released in the fall, and that the company expects a four-star crash rating.

In Europe, where smaller cars are more numerous and mismatched collisions less likely, size has not been a problem, said Vicenzo Luca, a spokesman for Germany's ADAC, Europe's biggest automobile club.

Euro NCAP tests on the City Coupe found that the car provided good protection for the driver and passenger, particularly with side impacts. But the agency found while there was good head and leg protection for a passenger in a front impact, there was weak protection for that person's chest. The driver had good head protection and adequate chest protection, but poor to adequate leg protection in a front-end impact.

The new model, nearly 8 inches longer, features improvements including a steel safety cage ADAC's Luca likened to a race car designed to protect the driver and spread out the energy from a crash across the car.

Smart also has touted the two "crash boxes" in the front and rear of the car that help spread energy from a collision across the safety cell.

The new model also includes complete driver and passenger front and side air bags. A collapsible steering column is designed to retract if there is a serious front-end collision. The seats have seatbelts that adjust to motion changes to tighten or release.

DaimlerChrysler said the additions are part of its adherence to better safety in all its cars, from the big Mercedes-Benz models to its SUV Dodge Nitro.

Smart USA Distributor LLC, part of United Auto Group Inc., launched a 50-city U.S. road show in May to give would-be buyers a chance to test drive the fortwo. The campaign has been to Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Boston and is scheduled to go to other cities including New York, Charlotte and Seattle.

At a stop in Detroit Tuesday, Dave Schembri, president of Smart USA, said he expects to have between 40 and 60 dealerships open by Jan. 1.

Schembri said the U.S. target market is not a certain age or income level, but rather one of attitude and lifestyle. He said he plans to tap that market through the road show and other nontraditional marketing, including on the Internet. "In America, we love our cars ... but we love cars that are fun to drive," he said.

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