Smart To US - The Latest | Green Energy News

December 19, 2004 – Vol.9 No.39

SMART TO U.S. - THE LATEST.

There is no guarantee, this is just speculation, but evidence is mounting that by the latter half of 2006 the smart (trademarked as small s) division of DaimlerChrysler will be selling its two-seat coupe - its 60-mile-per-gallon ForTwo - in the U.S.

Here’s the latest basis for this speculation.

DaimlerChrysler has halted development of the FourMore, the micro-SUV that was to be the smart brand’s first vehicle here. However, the stop-work order has not meant stop building a dealership network. That effort is continuing.

So, with dealerships ready to be open by then, they’ll need cars to sell. The only ones remaining are the much-loved ForTwo (and its variants), the Roadster, and the ForFour, a mundane car.

With the Roadster being smaller than a Mazda Miata (read few customers for roads packed with multi-ton SUVs), the ForFour as nothing special, the original ForTwo would be the best and likely choice. (Though it seems possible that the new smart dealerships would sell ForTwos and ForFours ForVariety.)

Further, DaimlerChrysler must be looking at the changing landscape for U.S. car sales. There are still long lines for Toyota’s high-fuel-economy Prius. Honda’s Hybrids, now with the Accord Hybrid, are great sellers. Ford is selling Escape Hybrids like hotcakes. And there are more hybrids in the pipeline.

But until DaimlerChrysler gets its own hybrids on the road in a few years it will be missing out on market share in the green car niche. Further, smarts sold as upscale cars (meaning with an upscale price, but far less than any hybrid) could be money makers for the company in the U.S. market.

The company, too, has no problem with pushing and marketing edgy, ground-breaking style. The company’s surprising best seller in the U.S. is a style-breaking sedan, the 300. Smart cars fit in the realm stylish, off-beat design.

The cars now meet collision and emission standards (in most states), and if news from ZAP are accurate there’s already a a long list of customers for the cars. (DaimlerChrysler probably doesn’t like the idea of non-aligned companies like ZAP selling their cars, either. Zap ZAP, they probably say behind closed doors.)

So, smart to the U.S. soon? Never bet on what car companies might do. However, it’s hard to imagine smart/DaimlerChrysler missing a golden opportunity like the one they have with their terrific and fuel stingy car. Visit smart at http://www.smart.com/ , ZAP at http://www.zapworld.com/ .