Hello Kitty Smart Car Wrap: Cute Expression or Tacky Distraction?

A Hello Kitty Smart Car Wrap? Has Smart gone too far by offering a line of designer car wraps in pink, pink and more pink that feature the icon cat, Hello Kitty?

The idea of your wife, or teenage daughter zipping down the road in a bright pink, Hello Kitty car is kind of cute...for about five minutes. What do male Smart Car owners think; will these car wraps make men less likely to purchase the cars? Are Smart cars becoming a chick car, and not a chick magnet? How will this affect Smart car sales?

"It's like driving your elementary school lunch box--without the sour-milk smell," says Suzanne Ashe at CNET's Cartech blog.

"Our collaboration with Smart USA allows fans to truly embrace the Hello Kitty lifestyle," said Janet Hsu, president of Sanrio, Inc., who is the owner of the Hello Kitty Brand. "This is the first time that Sanrio will offer a Hello Kitty car in the United States. This fall will mark the 50th Anniversary of Hello Kitty.

Smart started a program this past summer called "Smart Expressions." You can customize your paint job, or put a vehicle wrap on your new Smart Car. Vehicle wraps start at $1500, with Hello Kitty being in a limited release. They claim that if you don't see a wrap you like, you can have one custom designed. Want a Smurfs car, complete with Papa Smurf on the hood? Looks like Smart may be able to take care of you.

"We are expanding the highly successful Smart program by adding licensed brands as part of our wrap offerings," said Kim McGill, Smart USA's vice president of marketing. "Both Hello Kitty and Smart are expressive with a passionate following, and this is a special opportunity to bring the two fan bases together."

Hello Kitty is the only "licensed brand" they offer now, so any expansion would be a major expansion, doubling their offering.

Would you put a pink and white cat on your car and drive it down the road? Is it a cute expression or just a tacky on-road distraction?

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Photos:  Car Scoop