WC Archive

I'd love to drive a Smart Roadster ... it would be cool to find something fun and ... smart?

SMART cars are good, but I'd rather that SUV buyers started buying sedans rather than sedan buyers started buying SMART cars (IIRC, they are not that cheap, and a much roomier Prius gets equivalent or better real-world mileage with Toyota reliability and resale value -- and there are many small, non-hybrid cars that are cheaper and more practical than the SMART car; we only have to look to the Japanese and European markets (Toyota Yaritz, Mazda 2, Nissan Demio, etc)).

It would make more of a difference as far as oil comsumption to lose the SUVs, but also in safety and stress levels on the roads (blinding headlights coming from behind, no visibility in front, fear of getting crushed by something twice the size of your vehicle, etc).

Once sedans are popular again, it will be easier to downsize and hybridize them. But right now, many people are afraid of buying a small car (including the SMART) because of the arms race on the roads of the U.S.

Sorry for the partially off-topic confused rambling. Heh.

I already saw a SMART car in a parking lot here in Denver. How did it get here? Was it imported?

Imported or brought in by a driver from Canada.

Unfortunately, Smart cars have been a big money-loser for Daimler (we're talking 600 million Euros a year). See the Financial Times article:

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/18294636-a2d3-11d9-b4e8-00000e2511c8.html

relevant quotes:
"Analysts estimate that the brand has lost at least €2.5bn since its launch in 1998 and the losses will continue for the next two years."

"When Smart was launched in 1998, shortly after Daimler bought out its joint venture partner, the watchmaker Swatch, its models were sold through a different dealership network than its Mercedes models. Daimler executives scared to damage their flagship brand instead made it difficult for the brand to sell the volumes it needed to justify investments."

" Daimler executives were coy about the breakdown, but analysts estimate that almost all of the €1bn in cash charge will be paid to outside dealers and suppliers of the two models that are being cut.
This is because Daimler gave them large volume guarantees for Smart and in return kept its development costs low, analysts say. While this limited up-front investments, when a product is killed off it is hugely expensive to buy out dealers and suppliers for products that will no longer be produced.
This in turn leads some analysts to question how deep the restructuring goes, despite a headcount reduction of one-third. "This looks like just a partial restructuring. And to spend €1bn in cash on that indicates just how huge the cost would be in the case of a full closure," says Mr Jonas.
Closure of the brand had been the desired option of many analysts and investors, but Daimler executives hinted that could have cost many billions of euros more."

If the Smart were to be supplied running on LPG then it really would be smart.

I await the arrival of the Smart in the USA. Daimler-Chrysler now projects a 2007 corporate introduction. Most of Daimler's financial problems of late have little to do with the launch of the Smart car.

It is well reported that Daimler got 'took' when it purchased Chrysler. Accounting tricks were used by Chrysler to boost the buyout price of the company. Also, the Mercedes brand has had a number of quality issues that have cut into their total ‘all brands’ sales figures. Smart is still a relative new brand on the market. Take GM's Saturn brand, it has taken ten years for this division to show any profit and it was getting dealers sticker price for the cars for most of that period.

Yes, there is a hormonal imbalance for a lot people in the US who want big cars/SUV/Trucks, etc. But you know what, a lot of people long for a small, economical car to own and operate. I see the Smart falling into the original Mini and Beetle niche. Funny looking by some people’s standards, the car is cute and fun to own.

In Canada Daimler Marketing initially proposed the importation of 1100 cars, but then dropped the actual number to 800 because they did not know if they would sell. Guess what, there were 3,000 order for the cars before the first Smart car rolled on to the dock in Nova Scotia. So, over double the marketing departments original estimate is pre-ordered for next model year’s shipments. How many car companies can recently post that claim to fame

Smart owners joining or form owners clubs in almost every country that the Smart sells. After market parts companies are popping up in those same countries to supply the personalizing appetite of the owners.

As for safety, tests have shown the design to be very safe for the occupants. The cost to repair minor accidents has been in the low range of all cars on the market today. In Canada one person took his new Smart onto a frozen lake to see how skid proof it really was. He was unable to make the car spin, thanks to traction control, etc.

Will it sell big in the USA, don’t know, but do predict that it will have a large cult-culture-following develop around it.

Good Motoring

Just to add the perspective of a UK smart driver, I had a fourtwo for two years and now have a roadster - ok, I had three original minis and Honda Beat before that so I guess small cars are more my scene - but I'd have no problem recommending them. It would comfortably sit at 80mph on the motorway or zip around town all day and still never drop below the sort of economy you get from a £20k hybrid. And you wouldn't believe the stuff I crammed in it. Plus it's more like playstation than driving, especially with 6 clutchless gears and paddle shift.

It always felt safe to me, although I'm not sure how I'd feel sitting next to a chevy smackdown or Ford excommunicator!

I loved my little smart. But the roadster, mmm - now I really have a smug grin on my face...

I'm glad the US is getting the Smart, DCX weren't going to sell them in the UK until they realised so many were being imported, so I hope they wake up to the same thing happening in the states.

"It is well reported that Daimler got 'took' when it purchased Chrysler. Accounting tricks were used by Chrysler to boost the buyout price of the company. Also, the Mercedes brand has had a number of quality issues that have cut into their total ‘all brands’ sales figures. Smart is still a relative new brand on the market. Take GM's Saturn brand, it has taken ten years for this division to show any profit and it was getting dealers sticker price for the cars for most of that period."

I gotta say, this is just inaccurate. Take it from an insider, there was no "getting taken" involved, did DBAG overpay for Chrysler, certainly , but that was the nature of the times. Did ALL of the synergies pay off in the time period that they were suppossed to, nope, but nearly 4B$ did in five years, 1.8B coming in year one. About cross cultural integration and communication, those were hard points, but the story continues to blosom.

Smart continues to sell well in europe, albeit at 10-20% less than expected or required sales, but this year has seen the greatest uptick. As well, manufacturing costs were higher than expected (this is all well reported in company filings) and margins lower. I still don't know why a US version is so damb delayed, it should have been here four years ago.

I would think that the Smart Car should breeze through the California emissions laws. Think about it. The car is so efficient at burning fuel that emissions should be very, very low.

As for shipping the small size is another bonus since on the ship you can pack twice as many of these cars in the same amount of space (wonder if they charge per car or by size/weight?)

I drive a small SUV now but I miss my days of driving my little Geo Metro XFi where I got an average of 50mpg. Good gearing gave it plenty of low-end torque and it was a joy to park when everyone else was driving around trying to find a space big enough for their cars.

And the great thing about small cars like this is that it might even be greener than a hybrid. You probably get better highway mileage than a hybrid and there's no big storage battery full of nasty chemicals to deal with when it comes time to change that out. With the money saved over the expensive cost of the hybrid itself you could drive forever in a Smart Car using that money to buy gas.

I have to apologize for being a little smarta** here, but the car is called smart fortwo not fourtwo fitting just two people as opposed to their forfour available in Europe which fits four people ;-)