Daimler announced that worldwide smart car sales increased by 2600 cars in July versus the same month a year ago. US smart car sales for July were 2559 units.
This means that the US market was responsible for virtually 100% of the smart sales growth on a year over year basis.
We (those of you waiting on your ordered cars) can only hope that they will decide to feed the area of greatest growth and expand the number of smarts built for the US market.
In my opinion, that will only happen if demand some where else in the world is decreased. Our little car company is happy to be a little car company. Not much interest there to make very many more.
JPaul has the inside track on what's happening at the Hambach factory, but unless they go to a third shift or decide to build a second plant somewhere (China?) I don't see much hope for production to increase at all.
jwight - Don''t even give them the idea of a plant in China. Everything I buy is completely or partially made in China. I'd rather they build a plant in Mexico. Better, although remote; build one in the US.
JPaul has the inside track on what's happening at the Hambach factory, but unless they go to a third shift or decide to build a second plant somewhere (China?) I don't see much hope for production to increase at all.
Don't think there is much chance of a third shift with French labor laws. Basically, if they hired for a third shift and there was a downturn in demand they could not layoff the new employees.
jwight - Don''t even give them the idea of a plant in China. Everything I buy is completely or partially made in China. I'd rather they build a plant in Mexico. Better, although remote; build one in the US.
My thought is China will be a huge market for smart; they could build a plant there and supply cars only for the Chinese market, freeing up production at Hambach for the rest of the world. Very unlikely this will happen though, IMHO.
I realize they are unlikely to increase overall production at the plant just wondering if they will shift the production more toward the growth markets of the US and soon China. If not we could expect that the Chinese entry may in fact slow the numbers built for the US if overall production isn't increased in some fashion.
If the pie doesn't get any bigger then the slices will have to get smaller.
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