Smart hauls tiny pickup truck onto the Detroit Auto Show floor

By Mike Spinelli | Jalopnik – Mon, Jan 9, 2012 2:44 PM EST

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This is the "truck" that will save Smart in America. Stop laughing. Yes, it's just a concept car, but the Smart For-Us stands to recast the American standard pickup truck as an urban, green vehicle for fun couples. Seriously, stop laughing.

Did you know that comedian Jon Lovitz introduced the Smart pickup concept at the Daimler press conference? Ok, start laughing. And that the For-Us builds on the grand tradition of Americana haulers. Stop laughing.

The For-Us concept may never see the light outside design studios and auto shows, but it does draw attention to the electric power supply in the Smart EV. That is, a 55-kilowatt magnetoelectric motor. If one day, time turned to lemon drops, and unicorns materialized atop Mount Rushmore and pooped cinnamon toast on Teddy Roosevelt's head, the For-Us might actually hit its potential of 80 mph.

Also, there's a cargo area spanning three feet, with a power tailgate. That'll be awesome when shopping for half-penny nails at Bonsai Home Depot.

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