The company behind the Smart brand in the U.S. says it has received 12,600 deposits for the new Smart ForTwo minicar that will go on sale in 2008. The deposits are $99 and can be made via the company’s website. Smart is also going on the road with a traveling showroom this summer to spread the gospel of the 40-mpg-plus transport in 50 U.S. cities.
Smart is promising the base ForTwo will start under $12,000, with a convertible starting at $17,000. With gas prices seeing year-after-year spikes past $3 a gallon, they could become popular. The 12,600 number is pretty impressive, but for $99 it’s possible a few might sacrifice the deposit after actually sitting in and driving a production model.