Only 1169 sales in May-Future threatened?

[forestacademy]

Remember, all those dealerships are back charging smart and Penski for the 2.0 upgrade. Money in their pocket and getting you back for the scheduled work


Don't forget, When they feel sales starting to dip lower than they would like they will start running some adds.

[rfernatt]

Originally Posted by jwight

If the new Ford Fiesta and the Chevy Cruze are priced around $15K smart could be in trouble (yes, they're not micro cars but the average buyer couldn't care less.)

Further reinforcing the fact that smart can't live forever as a one-trick pony. IMHO, smart needs a small 5-door hatch, no longer than 144" or so, that accommodates more people/cargo and capitalizes on the smart strengths: interchangeable plastic body panels, fun styling, maximum internal space efficiency, strong safety credentials, environmentally friendly construction, fuel efficiency, panoramic roof, etc.

They should NOT repeat the mistake of basing it on another also ran small car as they did with the original forfour (Mitsu Colt). smart could use the new A-class as its platform. That would make an interesting Fit fighter. A-Class Gallery on UK Site



Bolstering the existing fortwo should also be on tap. Even though it works for me, if reviewers and prospective buyers can't get the hang of the transmission, it sounds like that should be the top priority. While working on a DSG or other setup, they should see about increasing fuel economy as well. Wider wheels/tires should also be standard for the American market to smooth out the ride and help with passing semis/crosswinds. And, for goodness sake, make cruise control a factory option.

[Jordon]

I agree with you rfernatt. Smart will go the way of Yugo if they are not careful. A forfour would help bring more people in, but they need to keep smarts image intact. After watching peoples reactions after driving/riding in a smart they will need to do something about the trans too. A real manual, or a CVT for those that can't drive sticks.

[sato7]

maybe smart USA should have service personnel that only work on smarts and not smarts and MBs.. Why? because they make more per hour on the Mercs and thus rush through our smarts like dealing with leprasy... I've got a folder full of in warranty repairs that... were not repaired properly the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th time..... I love my smart but think the system is giving us sub par warranty service.

[forestacademy]

This thread has started to turn Ugly.

I have one of those deicated dealers. No other car goes into the service department. No other car can. It us built for the fourtwo with very short service bays. They realy seem to care about the needs of the owners.

Their are other fourtwo models out there that we don't have in the US. Yet.

They seem to still be meeting their sales orders and If you want custom you can still get it. And Like I said before, They are selling what they have without advertising to the masses

[saronian]

Sales are also down in Canada where MB is offering $2,000 cash back + lease and financing deals on 2009 smarts.

Canadian smart website The smart mobility rebate

I don't think it's fair to judge the smart's viability in the US market, based on sales in extremely poor general economic conditions.

[vwW12]

Originally Posted by kwagar

1169 smarts were delivered by the dealer network in May?

It seems to me that few people are looking for micro-cars: could it be that ours is a niche market?

May auto sales were again dominated by the multi-ton trucks:

#1 Ford F-Series 33,381
#2 Chevrolet Silverado 31,463
#3 Toyota Camry / Solara 31,325
#4 Toyota Corolla / Matrix 23,576
#5 Honda Accord 22,597
#6 Honda Civic 20,723

To put it in perspective, during May, 55 Silverados and Ford F-150s were sold for each smart ForTwo in the United States.

[piglith]

Give it some more time. Gas prices will go further up, the taxas will go up and smaller cheaper cars will be back in the eye of people

[NeWave]

Originally Posted by piglith

Give it some more time. Gas prices will go further up, the taxas will go up and smaller cheaper cars will be back in the eye of people

Restarting the cycle anew.

[a2jack]

It looks like Penske will get Saturn. Will this distract his attention away from Smart ? Could the dealerships be combined?

I agree, the trans was a huge error for the acceptance of this new, little car in USA. The press beat it up, and many first time drivers were appalled by it's lack of familiarity during their first test drive.

Few changes were made to the 09's and many of the same problems we experienced in the 08's are still with us. Ours is now debugged after many trips back to the dealer. We love the car (even though it rides like our old 1947 Jeep). I doubt if we will ever buy another one.

IMO, unless major engineering changes are made to the Smart 4-2 this car will not compete with the soon to arrive little cars from Japan and Europe. A2Jack