Business smarts 31: City Flitz

Rent some CityFlitz wheels for $1/Day!

Toronto: CityFlitz is the brand-new lifestyle advertising company. We use fleets of fuel-efficient and cool MINI Coopers, MINI Cooper Clubmans, Smart cars, VW Beetles and Toyota Prius as trendy mobile billboards. Advertisers sponsor the car rental rate when we wrap the cars in attention grabbing brand graphics. This is why we can rent out our cars to you for a sensational $1 per Day!

iPhone fizzles at Toronto Autoshow

To Toronto Autoshow where a girl on the smart stand has been hired to take competition entries on an iPhone. After two failed attempts she gives up. We can enter the competition via the web at home, but the system fails to take our entry. We'd like to win the smart car, a prize celebrating the tenth anniversary of the car, but our chances are slim it seems.
The show is generally very quiet on the Thursday, particularly in the Skydome, and experienced stand staff point to reduced attendance and less "buzz" compared to previous years. Every manufacturer is trying to adopt a green pose but with little real justification. For example the Saturn Astra needs a diesel option, like its European counterpart. Hybrids and EVs were everywhere, but you have to wonder about the potential market for these cars. The third-generation Toyota Prius was on show with a Pontiac Aztec like rear-end. I've yet to be convinced that the Prius has ever turned a profit. An example of the electric car trend is the Mitsubishi MiEV shown below.

Words and pics by RLT.