Small is big at Phila. auto show

The concept cars, the hybrids, the Hummers, the ultra-luxury vehicles, the ubiquitous SUVs and minivans all got their due.

But the car that seemed to truly capture the imagination yesterday at the Philadelphia International Auto Show was the itty-bitty Smart Fortwo, which has been available in the United States for less than a month.

"Is this the line to sit in it?" asked Robin Emrick of Bensalem.

There was no line, just a steady throng of people three deep milling around the two-seater, photographing it, marveling at it, lifting its hatchback, and sitting in it, in some cases, rather snugly.

"It's a little shocking to me," said Raymond James, a brand specialist at the Smart Center in Cherry Hill. "I knew it would be popular, but I didn't think we'd be the hit of the show."

Curiosity, not car lust, seemed to be the prevailing mood. In a corner of the Convention Center's cavernous hall was the vehicle that has enamored Europeans for a decade, a car so "it" that it was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Even so, interest in the Smart was sort of a barometer of the economic times. With a recession threatening and gasoline headed for $4 a gallon, many people who checked out the Mercedes-built coupe said they could see owning such a thrifty, nifty auto ($11,590 base price and an EPA mileage rating of 33 m.p.g. city and 41 highway).

"For my little 7-mile commute, sure," said Emrick, who now drives a Hyundai Elantra to her job at a pharmaceutical packaging company.

"I would like one," said Arlene Kennedy of Bridgeton, N.J., a self-described soccer-grandmother who is ready to hang up her minivan. "It's adorable."

"And I can pick it up," joked her husband, Ed, putting his hand on the front bumper.

Throughout the show yesterday, consumers' views of the 700 vehicles on display - on white, plush carpet, as is traditional - seemed to be filtered through economic realities.

"I look at it and sit in it," Ed Bridgeford of Haddon Township said of GMC's imposing Yukon XL. "I'd love it, but it's $52,000 and gets 14 miles per gallon."

Norman Dumas of East Brunswick, N.J., a heating-air conditioning trainee who was at Lockheed Martin "until it downsized," was looking for a high-mileage family-friendly hatchback to replace his aging Silverado.

"The price of gas is going up, yet cars are getting bigger. I don't understand it," he said.

Many carmakers offered cars powered by ethanol, a fuel alternative some critics scorn because producing it consumes fossil fuel.

Many also offered vehicles with a hybrid option, which features a gasoline engine twinned with an electric motor.

But even in hybrid form, vehicles such as Cadillac's Escalade SUV will be guzzling a lot of gas; a manufacturer's representative said the per-gallon mileage will be "technically, 12."

Kind of ridiculous, said Tom Steel of Moorestown.

"If you buy a hybrid, you want to do your part for the environment," said Steel, who was eyeing Toyota's best-selling Prius, which gets more than 40 miles per gallon. "So why get just a little better mileage? I don't want a little better, I want a lot better."

Two cars that are still in development - Chevrolet's Equinox hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle and its battery powered VOLT - were placed prominently near the entrance to the main hall. The innovations drew praise - and skepticism.

"It's a catch-22: There are no hydrogen cars because there are no fueling stations, and there are not fueling stations because there are no hydrogen cars," said Lew Rodgrigo of Harleysville, a mechanic who used to run a gas station.

Actually, Chevrolet is testing 100 of its hydrogen-powered small SUVs in three cities that have fueling stations, but a manufacturer's representative at the show said building a national "infrastructure" for hydrogen cars would take years.

At the other end of the spectrum, where price is no object, a fence separated consumers from the Lamborghinis, Bentleys, Rolls-Royces and Aston Martins displayed on the upper-level ballroom.

Joseph A. Innaurato, general manager of F.C. Kerbeck & Sons in Palmyra, said at least one Aston Martin sale was a done deal. "The guy is coming to the showroom to pick out the color," he said.

Others, however, were content to ogle.

"The Maserati. That's my dream car," said Stan White of Sanatoga, a technical support worker at Tyco fire protection products.

And his current wheels?

"A 10-year-old Toyota," he said and chuckled. "It has 332,000 miles. I brag that I'm going to drive it until it dies."

When: Open through Feb. 10. Hours are noon-10 p.m. through Friday; 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday; and 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Convention Center, 1101 Arch St.

Price: $10-$12, with discounts available for online purchases or weekday attendance; $6 for children 7-12 years old; and free admission for children under 6.

Parking: Show organizers recommend the Parkway Garage at 12th and Filbert Streets or the Hilton Garage at 11th and Arch Streets. For directions and a detailed parking map, go to www.paconvention.com/visitors/directions.asp.

Transit: SEPTA and the Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia offer a "Turbo Pass" for unlimited, one-day travel on SEPTA buses, trolleys and trains on weekdays. Passes cost an additional $8 and are invalid on SEPTA Regional Rail trains that arrive in Center City before 9:30 a.m.

More information online: Visit the Inquirer's Web site at www.philly.com or the show's Web site at www.phillyautoshow.com.EndText