Smart Car Vending Machines Hit Japan

Smart Marketing in Japan
The clever "vending machine" pictured above is located in Japan. You can't really buy a smart car from it, but you can get brochures and info about the various smart models. Yeah, it is anti-climactic.

Smart Car: Good and Bad
The smart fortwo is certainly a mixed bag. While the diesel version gets in the 60+ miles per gallon range and can be run on biodiesel, the gasoline version is only rated at a combined 36 miles per gallons by the EPA. But that doesn't take away from the smart's impact in making very small urban cars more mainstream, and making other compact cars look bigger in comparison.

Upcoming Smart-like Cars
The teacher might soon be surpassed by the students: Toyota's iQ urban microcar looks like it might be more practical with its 3+1 seating configuration, and it will probably have better performance and fuel economy than the smart car in the gasoline model. There's also the all-electric Mitsubishi's i MiEV which shares many design elements (though it is bigger).

Smart Car
Smart Car: How Smart is It?
Motorcycle Engine in smart Car
Hybrid Technologies to Produce Electric Smart Car

More about the Smart Vending Machine
PlaySmart.jp
SMART Car Vending Machine Only Dispenses Marketing Materials, False Hope
The Green Picture: A smart Vending Machine

Comments

[axt113]

I find it funny that AMericans, the same americans that eat cows, lambs, pigs, etc on a daily basis cry and whine about whales and Dolphins being killed

[ImmanuelGoldstein]

I think it has to do with the fact that whales and dolphins are actually endangered species.

[SaraPulis]

Agreed totally. They also love to whine about dogs and cats being eaten, too, when pigs are smarter. (Roughly equivalent to an average three-year-old human.) I think the whale-and-dolphin complaint is more rooted in the fact that they're endangered, though.

[mindcaster]

that 'smart marketing' package has been around in Europe ever since the launch of the Smart car. Mostly located next to highways around big cities, in clear view of every passing commuter.

Apparently it worked.

[sussex]

Someone who had returned from Japan a few years ago told me that they had vending machines catering, solely, to dirty old men that were stocked with used, unlaundered panties. Now this fellow absolutely swore that he had seen them and he wasn't the sort to make things up.. -:)

[ThirdSection]

It's true. And once you've bought your used schoolgirl panties from one vending machine, you can buy a place to stay the night from another. Yes, they have vending machines that you can sleep in over there!

[ImmanuelGoldstein]

The vending machine industry in Japan is comparatively larger than here, almost twice the number of them per 1000 population (44 vs. 24). A much larger variety of things is sold by VM in Japan than in America too.

The major reason seems to be Japan's low crime rate. Very little theft and vandalism is directed at vending machines there. This makes them a more popular option for retailers, and a lot more innovative about using them.

And yes the panty dispenser does exist.

[TheBlackCat]

No that is abslutely true, I've been. You can get ANYTHING you can think of in a vending machine in Japan. They DO sell used panties in vending machines in Japan. It's totally weird. But i'm sure In America you could just as easily find such things on craigslist or ebay here in America.

They also eat horses and dolphins over there! Almost every restaurant has "raw horse meat in garlic" I can't really judge them for that, we feed horse meat to our dogs, so obviously America isn't anti horse killing. But DOLPHINS! That's just awful!!

The US gets so much crap for taking up the Earth's resources, and we should, but Japan totally gets a free ride. They are more responsible than any other country for the depletion of our ocean's resources. 1/3 of all tuna and swordfish caught is consumed in Japan, and these species have been devastated by Japan's fishing industry. They also have no problem eating endangered and threatened species of fish, shark, dolphins and whales. We have such good diplomatic relations with Japan right now, it is extremely upsetting to me that the US does not put more pressure on them to stop from killing highly endangered species.

[wadenelson1]

the Japanese are so much fun! Whether it's robots or hello kitty or auto vending machines they never fail to blow my mind. Oh, and their food is DELICIUOS!

[ohnoyoudidnot!]

Especially the dolphin sushi!

[Wilburrr]

Yes... tastes like a combination of Blue Whale and Spotted Owl....