Not So Smart for the US?

There is certainly a lot of interest in Smart (in some places anyway). I was at the Montreal Auto Show this weekend and, by far, their cars had the most people swarming around them. That is partly a reflection of the European-ness of the city – but still. They didn't have the 4 door there, but their was a couple of Cabriolets. (Smart 2 doors are already on sale here)

It appears D-C is pleased with sales in Canada:

“We launched the Smart Fortwo in Canada in the fall of 2004 and are pleased with the response so far,” Kramer said. “We think it is a vehicle that has a definite segment here in America.”

Smart said that since the Fortwo was launched in October 2004 in Canada, the company has raised its sales expectations there by 50 percent. The car is sold out there through the middle of 2005 with more than 3,000 people having paid a deposit and waiting on delivery. http://www.macombdaily.com/ stories/011205/loc_smartcar001.shtml

This story differs from the recent USA Today story claiming the small TWO was likely to be introduced into the USA. MB dealers claim they are fighting to become Smart dealers. As a many year AutoWeek reader who admits he has cancelled his subscription, I doubt most of what they say. And expecially how they say it. But that is merely my opinion.

Zap Cars is importing the SMART to the US, and for now, may be able to meet demand for the car. That gives Mercedes the best of both worlds: sales to enthusiasts and no investment. They can see how many sell, and make a choice from there.

all of the smart fortwos that have been brought into Canada have all been pre-sold (I think around 1000). There is also about a year long waiting list as well. I would love to get one as a commuter car.

I saw my first Smart on my 1st trip to Europe nearly 6 years ago and thought they were very, very kool. I likened them to the Deux Chevaux (2 CV).

I don't know how they would do in the USA but I know the “SUV” design leaves me cold. The original SMART designs were innovative & fun with their paint & interiors, this, from what I have seen, is kinda blah.

Maybe, as some have suggested, it works as a daily commuter, in heavy traffic commutes, a COSTCO buggy or a soccer mom, no slam intended, but for me I'd rather have the original design if I was to buy one at all.

The MINI is a different thing all together. Yes it has “racing heritage” and that plus the styling is why I bought it but I doubt that is why most buy it. Most people I meet who ask me about my MINI are younger and either don't know about it's “heritage” or could Give A S- – T, in fact most glaze over when I start in on the racing bits.

Most of the people I meet, who end up buying a MINI, are drawn in by the MINIs looks, having driven a friends or hoping to get better gas mileage for their commute.

I don't see much of that in the SUV rendition except maybe gas mileage?

+++RB

The most important piece of the Smart equation is price. If Smart or Zap price these as super cheap yet reasonably stylish cars then they stand a shot.

I don't think consumers view the Smart or Scion brands as anything more than neat looking econoboxes. Mini on the otherhand is viewed as a super premium small car, with desirability beyond price.

I say good luck to Smart finding a balance between a cheap car and one American's would actually want to drive.

the so called ''smart suv'' is called the smart formore and is based on the smart forfour with with new styling cuesa and offroad ablity.

i saw a smart coupe on my way home from class today and was not impressed. it has a long way to go before it can be considered attractive. all the plastic body pieces looked really really cheap. it might be different it had some kind of performance pedigree, but it doesn't. now if i were living in say NYC, or downtown LA or some major urban area, especially in europe, i think it would be a phenomenal brand; small and cheap to operate and maintain. but it seems DCX can't quite get it to work. i'd be curious to see how a smart would fare on a major highway. the MINI is fine because you can just punch the gas and go, but none of the models in the smart range even come near the power figures of a MC let alone an MCS. we'll see what happens, but i don't anticipate seeing them this side of the pond.

ZAP motors in Santa Rosa California has taken orders for 5000 smart cars (at $1000 a pop). Also, anyone who drives around the Bay Area can't help but notice the extrordinary number of Pruis Hybrids on the road. Smart will make it in certain green conscious markets (west and northeast coasts) but will fail in the flag waving pipe dragging midwest and south.

MINI has not only been an extremely successful small car experiment for BMW but also thier product has created a new standard for which any other “Premium” small car attempting to directly compete with it will be measured against. DCX understands the challenge presented by the success of the MINI brand, not only at a global scale but in the United States alone, previously taught to be one of the most recalcitrant anti-small car and anti-hatchback car markets in the world.

It is ironic that DCX has been the powertrain driving force behind the success of the MINI (The TRITEC engine) to the benefit of their archrival competitor BMW AG.

DCX has had a good thing going on with the Smart, but in my view they haven't been able to truly define the brand, the overall mission of the product and the intended market audience for the vehicles. The Smart has been first and foremost the “Eco-friendly” urban transporation answer for crowded European cities, so in that light one could say that the Smart is more akin to be a competitor of the Pruises and insight of the world than the MINIs.

DCX knows they have a somewhat good enough product in the current Smart line-up but they simply can't compete with the MINI, at any level, because, unlike the funky looking Smarts, the MINI has it all over them in terms of performance, economy, looks, cool factor, resale value and product universal appeal among others.

Time for DCX to go back to the drawing board and re-think their future strategy with the Smart brand and re-focuse it as either a chic, eco-friendly urban transporation alternative or a full fledged car capable of universal recognition and acclaim in terms of performance and looks. In other words, for Smart to succeed here, they need to have a car capable of beating MINI at their own game and that is on itself a pretty daunting challenge for a troubled company such as Daimler-Chrysler. Smart doesn't have anything (Probably close) that matches or surpasses the product BMW/MINI have been putting out for the past 4 years.

If Smart begins their US debut with a small “Cute-ute” they know that their cars will be another dime in a dozen in the likes of Scion and company. Hip looking cars with little substance under the hood, just offering quirky looks, glass shattering factory stereos and ricey neon light interior decorative touches.

Needless to say, MINI has opened the doors to a previously dormant segment in the US car landscape and competitors will be forced to bring out products that are not only “ggod enough” but are capable of surpassing the leader (MINI) in every possible aspect of the equation. So the challenge also rests on MINI to improve the product and always be 2 steps ahead of the game.

Great times for us car nuts, aren't they?

Well, no matter how cool the black & green body panels look, if Smarts seem overpriced and underpowered I think it's true they won't make it here in the US. However, if they were $10k or under, and at least in the 12 sec range for 0-60, I don't think they could keep up with demand, especially considering how cool the black and green body panels look ;)

Twofor, ForTwo…bloody dyslexia…haha…

Well said Aaron.

I like the idea of the SMART car, and was happy to hear that another fuel efficient vehicle was making its way to the US. But one thing I've learned with my 05 MCS is that people here, just make assumptions about cars. For instance, my MINI to most people is “TOO SMALL” or “SOO TINY”. Yes, it is a small car in certain regards, but compared to its competition it's not that much smaller in most aspects (wheelbase, width, height, interior/cargo space). With those remarks come saftey concerns, which boggle my mind, just cause of its size or size of SUVs doesnt mean I'm not driving a “safe” car.

This holds true to the SMART car as well. I think the average US person is going to criticize it's saftey and size without giving it a fair chance. People complain about their horrible gas mileage and hate SUVs, but yet no one does anything about it. People buy to keep up with “everyone else” and gets another SUV. with that, and it's lack in power it's not something i personally would drive. While I do like the idea, it's not a car for me, but I'm not against the car at all, and wish the US would wise up and give something new a chance. :)

I really REALLY don't mean to sound sarcastic or mean. Honest I don't, but … Jason, What's a gullwing roadster? :)

Dave replied that re: the gullwing raodster thang — 1954 MB 300SL Coupe and Roadster… Yes, true classics both, however, the raodster was a roadster (ie NO permanent hard top) the gullwing was the coupe (ie the doors went into the TOP and opened upwards).

The smart roadster is a roadster (no permanent hard top), therefore could not have gullwing doors.

BTW, the SL Roadster was introduced 2-3 years after the Gullwing

Just read the entire thread… I think Smart is going to succeed in the (affluent, diverse) US market (to quote a perceptive poster) “eventually”.

I haven't ever seen their “mission statement” but I would like to suggest that a company (any company) has to BOTH optimize existing markets (where I work, that's “current customers”) AND work to gain “new customers”. Further, and this is where creativity and loads of money comes in, some efficiencies and benefits ought to organically “happen”, for a company that can do both simultaneously. Isn't growth required for any business to succeed over time? I do understand sometimes you have to take a timeout from the marathon, to do “damage control” type things, but… (dang did I have too much rant juice!).

One other thing (well, a few things, topic rescue): The picture reminds me of those capsules you climb into, to ride the ferris wheel at the county fair… That being said, IF everyone has one, and they're hydrogen powered… hmmm… It wouldn't be much trouble to make space for it next to my “S” in the garage.

To me the Smart is just a very small car. Small is ok, but any car must be compatable with the roads it will drive.

Is the Smart something you want to be driving on a windy day on a snowy Ohio Turnpike, sandwiched between two 18-wheelers? Not me!

Americans want cars with multiple uses. They want vehicles that are overbuilt for their purposes.

One of the appealing things about SUV’s are the fact that they have more uses as far as cargo and people carrying capacity, than a car, even though many people only use them as a car.

The MINI is a small hatchback, but it has the handling and power potential of a sports car. It has many luxury car features standard and optional. These features make it delightfully overbuilt and able to serve more purposes, than just a small car.

The small size and sickly horsepower of the Smart make it incompatable for many uses in the U.S. For Europe it is just enough to get someone from point A to point B. on narrow roads and city streets, with other small cars. For the US, this just does not get the job done.

If Smart can take it’s fashionable, eyecatching style and combine it with some more power, interior features and customizability, then it may work in the U.S.

But, DCX better make up their mind and do something, because the MINI and Scion have beat Smart to the punch and Honda may bring the Jazz and VW may bring the Polo, which may make a niche market pretty crowded by the time DCX gets Smart over here, at the pace they are going with it.

I like what Zap it doing by bringing the Smart over here, for the few folks who want one. I wish someone would do that for the few of us nutters who want other cool European cars, not available here.

Based on the Detroit Autoshow stand I would say that they have a chance. As long as they market the car as a niche product that it is. The stand was SWARMING with people… much much more than even the Ferrari / Maserati stands, and even more than the Mini stand. The car is innovative for a city dweller, and offers quite a bit of safety for it’s size.

Speaking from experience, the car is NOT suitable for driving on the freeway, or at speeds of more than say 70mph. A friend of mine has one in Paris and says that it is positively frightening at those speeds. There is a distinct lack of power at that speed, and it gets blown around by a Peugeot 206!

…the Smart line will come to America;however,its’ date with the states will be pushed back to make room for M. Benz’s Vision B.,due for the fall of ’05(mbusa.com). That car,along with the GM Solstice and Saturn Sky are the only cars I see that might give MINI competition.

I live about 50 km (30 miles) from Toronto and I commute everyday. I was spending $600 a month on gas. I bought a Smart fortwo cabriolet. My expenses have gone down to $150. It’s awesome. I drive on the QEW every day and can go 120 (70 miles per hour) comfortably. Merging hasn’t been a problem and it’s very environmentally friendly – 70 – 90 miles per gallon. Yes, it gets buffetted in high winds – but so do a lot of other small cars. I’ve taken it on longer trips on our super highways and wouldn’t hesitate to take it on a longer trip.

While inside the Smart, it feels quite big. The design is quite clever. It’s not meant to compete with the MINI (a fine car in its own right). My other vehicle is a 2000 Mercedes ML320, also a fine vehicle. There’s no reason why the Smart shouldn’t do well. It’s a great second vehicle – especially for those of us that spend a fair amount of time in our cars alone. I’ve got air conditioning, it’s warm enough in our bitter cold weather, plus I have leather heated seats. The stereo is decent and there’s an ipod direct connect.

Don’t trash the Smart until you’re experienced the drive.

I saw it in the auto show yesterday. its awesome. i really want one. You would never believe that I’m a typical redneck classic rock listening loser from cowgary with a 80′s style mullet. Note that gas is even cheaper here than anywhere else in canada.

I’m ready to buy one of these tiny beauties.

Bring it on.