- The Smart Discoball, a one-off electric vehicle that looks to be inspired by the 1970s disco era and the movie Saturday Night Fever, debuted in Berlin.
- Designed to be "street theater," the Smart Discoball is covered in reflective glass tiles and has windows with a mirror finish.
- Daimler says the vehicle was conceived by the "experimental artist formation 'Apparatjik,'" but one image of the group posing with the Discoball and wearing silver gas masks may be seen as thoughtless and vulgar, given the grim situation in Japan.
BERLIN — The Smart Discoball, a one-off electric vehicle that looks to be inspired by the 1970s disco era and the movie Saturday Night Fever, debuted here on Tuesday. It is not destined for showrooms, but designed to be an amusing bit of street theater "conceived by the experimental artist formation 'Apparatjik,'" said Smart parent Daimler in a statement.
The Smart Discoball — a glitzy version of the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive — is covered in reflective glass tiles and has windows with a mirror finish.
One image of the vehicle with Apparatjik appears bound to strike a sour note with observers, however, especially given the grim situation in Japan.
The image shows Apparatjik dressed in silver suits, helmets with antlers and gas masks. It is clearly meant to be playful, but the image stands in stark counterpoint to more serious images coming out of Japan on Tuesday morning of soldiers donning gas masks in response to radiation leaking from damaged nuclear plants.
Daimler says Apparatjik consists of "world-famous musicians," including Guy Berryman of Coldplay. The group will use the one-off Smart in a film entitled Pixel City.
Disco balls have long been associated with art and public-relations gimmicks. Madonna used a 2-ton glitter ball in her 2006 Confessions Tour.
Inside Line says: Was Daimler a bit insensitive with this glitzy PR stunt? — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
Add A Comment »
tdiluv says:
06:24 AM, 03/16/2011
Saw one (SMART) on a pole about 15 feet in the air all painted in day-glo colors and it really gets attention. The owner said this is a lot safer and more useful than driving it !
jumala says:
06:52 PM, 03/15/2011
I bet while driving this thing is about the only time the Smart Disco Balls' target demographic wouldn't want to get rear-ended.
gtrguy2012 says:
05:53 PM, 03/15/2011
If I saw this thing driving down the road, i'd try to kill it.
coolb944 says:
03:31 PM, 03/15/2011
I'm sure they shot these pictures long before the earthquake in Japan, and, at least for my part, the thought didn't even cross my mind.
ergsum says:
03:02 PM, 03/15/2011
John TraVOLTa approved.
Does this make it a "BG" segment car?
Does it have four wheel disco brakes?
akula1 says:
02:43 PM, 03/15/2011
I guess we aren't actually supposed to take this brand seriously afterall.
agnh says:
02:20 PM, 03/15/2011
The first photo needs to be the new caption contest, please.
tempesting says:
01:44 PM, 03/15/2011
Paris Hilton and Lady Gaga just came across my mind. anyone else? very cool though haha!
akitadog says:
01:38 PM, 03/15/2011
It might be small enough to hang from the club's ceiling.