( Worldcarfans ) - An interesting new concept hits Los Angeles from today, somewhat ahead of next month's LA Show. This smart new idea won't however be on a show stand near you anytime soon - but it could be right up your street. 'Bolstering' the smart's January launch into the American market will be a 'smart house' - an exclusive studio building on Abbot Kinney Boulevard - showcasing the funky smart brand to the equally-hip residents of Venice Beach, California.
The temporary new showroom, to be open until the end of January when the smart hits the market, will be showcasing the new fortwo to customers, journalists and VIPs as a car that is more than just economical, compact and safe.
"The smart house will present the world and lifestyle of a typical smart driver", says Anders Sundt Jensen, responsible for brand management at smart. "[The house] convey the intrinsic values of this unique city car, showing visitors that bigger is not always better."
The smart house aims for the brand to build on its growing reputation for 'the arts and the pulse of the age', being associated with innovation, unconventional ways of thinking and collaboration with artists, musicians and fashion designers since its inception in 1998.
Visitors to the four-month-long space will meet four smart fortwos with test drives and sales consultation available, as well as the ability to order their new car on the spot. Prospective buyers will join over 30,000 American consumers already having made the 'smart decision'.