*This article was edited to reflect a change.
By nearly all measures, Smart Cars are an asset to the drivers around them. They're small (freeing up more parking space) and environmentally friendly (comes in an electric or fuel-efficient gas version).
But maybe there's something unlikeable about Smart Cars (like their price or too cute for a car size), which could be why several of them were flipped over by a group of six to eight unidentified men in the San Francisco area earlier this week, CNN reported. At around 1,800 pounds, they're also one of the easiest to flip on the market
"(They) all just huddled around it and then just lifted it up and set it on its hind legs," Brandon Michael, who witnessed one of the flips, told CNN affiliate KRON.
Two of the three cars tossed in a 2 mile radius were put on their side. The third one was left on its back.
Police aren't sure if the acts of vandalism are a game or indicative of a greater statement. Probably it's a prank -- similar to the wave of Smart Car flippings in 2009 (so many that a Facebook page was created). To Michael, the perpetrators simply "looked like they were up to no good."
"It's hard to determine a motive without any suspects identified or in custody," Police spokesman Gordan Shyy told the Associated Press.
What are the damages incurred by a flipped Smart Car? The state of the three vehicles are unknown, though one owner seemed to think the cost would be significant if hers was targeted.
"I would be out of luck," Florence Dabokemp told KRON. "I would be out of a car, because I couldn't afford to fix it."
