I saw a lot of Smarts in Rome simply because it's easier to find parking spaces for them there.

A typical American pickup truck would be a total nightmare to own while living there.

So fix your city planning issues and people will choose smaller cars.

The Romans I was riding with agreed that the sideways parking was the only reason to get them, otherwise they considered them expensive for the size.

And that's a pretty big reason in cities that aren't littered with giant parking lots.

Smart cars are no longer sold in the US. In general options are limited. Previously compact cars like the Civic are now midsize. And even then they produce them in low volumes so they are always sold with a markup.

The Mini Cooper is bigger than you'd think -- same wheelbase and height as a Corolla, although the cargo area and hood are shorter. But the wheelbase of the Smart car (no longer sold in the US, by the way) is 2/3 that of the Mini.