s
The smart limited two, unveiled in Geneva.
(Reprint from AutoBlogGreen)
It’s a good time to be selling Smarts in the U.S. The North American distributor, Roger Penske, told Automotive News that he thinks that, on top of the 25,000 Smarts he’s getting from Europe this year, he could “easily” sell 15,000 more. The trouble is that the Smart factory simply can’t produce more than they currently are, so those 15,000 extra sales will either be delayed or lost to other brands. Penske said he’s waiting to hear from Mercedes about possibly making more Smarts for the U.S.
Since the refundable deposit for ordering a Smart online is/was only $99, Smart USA said that as many as 25 percent of pre-orders are being canceled in some markets. Still, Smart USA’s president told AN that the overall number of cancellations is “low,” and the cars that were once destined for a particular buyer are not sitting on the lots because of high demand.
In the grand scheme of of the American car market, 25,000 Smarts – or even 40,000 – is not a lot. Still, if anyone was curious whether Americans could embrace a truly small vehicle or not, I think we have the answer.
Go to the title link to see more photos of the Geneva 2008 Smart Limited Two and the reader comments.
3. April 2008 at 11:35 am
I went to the Smart dealership just yesterday. They told me the wait was over a year after putting down the $99 reservation. I can’t wait over a year. I have to get something else now, (Honda Fit maybe?) but am still holding out hope to get a Smart in a couple years. Heck, maybe even a used one.
3. April 2008 at 12:58 pm
Ask to be put on the dealer’s “orphan” list. As the article notes, many reservation holders bail when their car arrives and you could get one of those.
3. April 2008 at 1:48 pm
Without a decent engine the smart simply does not appeal to a large chunk of its potential buyers – young enthusiasts and people who live in city/suburb areas.
3. April 2008 at 11:26 pm
I would like it a lot better with the .8-liter turbo diesel that powered the 1.0 version in Canada. But unless you really need your car to be less than 3 meters long, a Yaris/Fit/Aveo is much more bang for the same bucks (and not much worse gas mileage).
4. April 2008 at 1:24 am
Here in Madison, WI, anybody who opened a Smart dealership would be an overnight millionaire. They would be so in vogue here. We’re all sold out of Priuses (the fashion stock of Madison cars at the moment) and Fits are hard to come by… People would go nuts for a Smart car.
I did see a Smart car from Ontario here the other day…
15. April 2008 at 2:23 am
please excuse my ignorance. although i love thge smartcar im actually in need of some direction regarding bicycle racks that mount on scooters .a few racks exist for motorcycles but i need one (even if a have to make modifications) which would mount on an aprilia rs 50 and an aprilia scarbeo i may buy an aprilia cargo bike 250 as well
secondly i have ordered that scala rider fm but i was wondering what you thought about the nolan n comm system and/or any other similar systems ?
you mentioned beemers 800$ system and thats just too high for me but your blog touches on the Mob control saying it no workie in states. true? the aDVICE ON PIGGIO’S system is from the UK so does that system work here? is there a system that offers more?
nolan doesnt allow for ipod hookup or radio. id really like to get a system that does more than nolan’s
16. April 2008 at 2:13 pm
I really do like the Smart Fortwo car. They beefed it up from the overseas car, and it would be a great replacement for my saturn which is holding together by sheer magic, but for a car to only have a two year warranty and a never before tested custom transmission kinda leaves me with an uneasy feeling.