With its multiculturalism and level standards of living, Canada is proving itself to be a delicious test bed for product launching and design development. Major brands like Sony, McDonald’s, Dell, and Porsche have tapped into the population and harvested the feedback to shape their products for the North American stage. It is well known that the North America launch of the Smart car occurred in Ontario, where the public responses where gauged and evaluated around the little vehicle from Europe (ironic given that Smart car sales are the strongest in Vancouver and the West Coast). Right from day one, the Smart Fortwo created quite a stir in consumers and demand was heavy and enthusiastic resulting in a six month waiting list by spring of 2005. The Smart has overcome public concerns of being unusable in the winter, and dangerous on the highways, and has become especially popular for urban errands and short distance commuting. Like most novelty cars (think Mini and VW Beetle), the little two seater has become popular as a mobile advertising platform, delivering branded graphics on its shell and capturing the stares of pedestrian and other drivers. This initial wave of enthusiasm has dipped slightly but the brand is still well received and gaining in popularity across the nation and now in the US.