21,000 Reservations!

[DenverSmart]

I just attended the Denver "Street Smart" tour and was told that as of today, there are 21,000 reservations! 400 in the Denver area.... I was also told the following:

1.) Orginally, 16,000 smarts were going to be alotted for the US. That number was raised to 20,000 AND could be increased due to what appears to be alot of interest... The whole idea behind the tour is to see how many more reservations are generated. Smart will use this information to determine a final number of Smarts for the US market.

2.) The new engine while designed by Mitzubishi, is made by Mercedes Benz.

3.) No one can walk in off the street and just by a Smart... Those holding a reservation will be offered a Smart first.

4.) Compared to the 2006 smart, the 2007's shifting delay has been greatly improved! I was told that the 2008 will shift like theh automatics we are use to..... smooth!

5.) Once I saw the colors in person.... I would take any of them...(except yellow....I did not see that color)

6.) Front and side airbags will be standard on the US models.

7.) The dealers will NOT be allowed to raise the price of the cars... (for example, the Pontiac Solistace... the dealers added $2,000 - $4,000 for "market demand") Both Smart customer service and the dealer general manager in Denver said that Smart will put the price on the sticker and that price will be the priced as it will be advertised on thier web site...NO DEALER MARK-UPS!

Hope this info helps!

Smart in Denver!

[SmartCard]

Only 21,000 reservations?? They broke 20,000 weeks ago so I figured they would be closing in on 25K. It certainly would be nice if the production is bumped to 20,000.

Thanks for the info from Denver, and welcome!

[choppermike]

I live in a GREEDY area of North West Florida with the "Good Ole Boys" They would add to everything. Thanks for the info. I know that I am protected.

[Bonnie]

Great information. I'm still hopeful that they'll increase production, it would only be good marketing to produce what is reserved and deliver what is reserved as quickly as possible next year.

[2micro4u]

add one to that number because I reserved my Cabrio this morning

[Carnut]

As far as "no mark ups" are concerned, this will hold true for NEW cars only! Case in point, when the CLK Convertible came out, MB dealers were restricted from padding the price, BUT mysteriously local dealer just happened to have some VERY LOW milage "used" cars for sale at a $10,000 premium!!!

[racing5k]

I live in southern Missouri; from what I have read, there will be a dealership in Kansas City and St. Louis. We would like to reserve a car for our family, but, realistically, can I expect to get one in 2008 if I register today? From what I understand, there is no guarantee of price or availability. I also read that some Smart cars were to have diesel engines, but I can't find any information about 2008 cars having an available diesel. Also, where will these cars be built? Does anyone know anything about warranties?

$100 is not a big deal, but it sounds as if you don't really get anything--some folks have waited months for even an order confirmation.

Thanks in advance for any information!

[Carnut]

No deisel for the USA. As far as getting one in 2008 by reserving now, it would depend on the number of cancellations. 32,000+ reserved with only 24,000 to 25,000 being produced in 08. Warrany is said unofficially to be 2 year/24000 miles with option to extend at a price to be determined.

Read all the threads and you will soon be a smartian expert.

[lhoboy]

Originally Posted by racing5k

I live in southern Missouri; from what I have read, there will be a dealership in Kansas City and St. Louis. We would like to reserve a car for our family, but, realistically, can I expect to get one in 2008 if I register today? From what I understand, there is no guarantee of price or availability. I also read that some Smart cars were to have diesel engines, but I can't find any information about 2008 cars having an available diesel. Also, where will these cars be built? Does anyone know anything about warranties?

$100 is not a big deal, but it sounds as if you don't really get anything--some folks have waited months for even an order confirmation.

Thanks in advance for any information!

1. Not much chance that you'll get a Smart from a dealer in 2008. You might find a used one by mid year, or a new one bought on speculation (spelled big mark-up)
2. If you buy from a dealer, it will be at MSRP. See www.smartusa.com for pricing.
3. As carnut says, no diesel for US in 2008. Available in Europe, maybe Canada.
4. Car is built in Humbach, France
5. As carnut says, rumor has the warranty period at 2yrs/24k miles with option to purchase longer term. If this is true, your reservation may well get you a 2008 Smart because it appears that members on this forum will require at least a 3 year warranty without having to pay additionally.

[shack01]

Does Smartian rhyme with Martian or is it three syllables?

tm