I’d like to witness a “full boat load” of smarts arriving in '08; it would be impressive. As best I can divine it, the smarts will be shipped between Zeebrugge, Belgium and Baltimore, MD by Wallenius-Wilhelmsen Line. W-W L’s “pure car carrier” fleet includes a ship with a capacity of 8,000 standard size cars – maybe 18,000 smarts, maybe more. Wow!!
I’d like to witness a “full boat load” of smarts arriving in '08; it would be impressive. As best I can divine it, the smarts will be shipped between Zeebrugge, Belgium and Baltimore, MD by Wallenius-Wilhelmsen Line. W-W L’s “pure car carrier” fleet includes a ship with a capacity of 8,000 standard size cars – maybe 18,000 smarts, maybe more. Wow!!
Right! I was going to suggest that the first 300 car delivery will barely fill a single cargo container.
I was being facetious about 18,000 plus smarts in a car carrier (PCTC). Nice thought though. There isn't a PCTC out there that has lashing gear for 18k vehicles! But, there are enough Wallenius departures out of Zeebrugge to the U.S. East Coast to accommodate whatever the smart factory can assemble for us (it is France ya
I was being facetious about 18,000 plus smarts in a car carrier (PCTC).
Needless to say, I was being facetious as well about the 300 Smarts in a single container, but it is amusing to think how little space will be required to ship an entire production week's worth of cars (about 400) to the states.
I was sort of guessing that the 20-or-so Euro 451 road show vehicles might be used for the testing after they had served their purpose. The bodies, engines, and drive trains are substantially the same.
I was sort of guessing that the 20-or-so Euro 451 road show vehicles might be used for the testing after they had served their purpose. The bodies, engines, and drive trains are substantially the same.
I don't think the euro versions will be useful for any testing as the feds insist on testing the actual production versions.For one thing, the tranny, a significant component, will be different. It would make sense that the first four US versions would be used first for the EPA tests and then the crash tests.
Needless to say, I was being facetious as well about the 300 Smarts in a single container, but it is amusing to think how little space will be required to ship an entire production week's worth of cars (about 400) to the states.
I don't know were you got your info but the weekly production is 3365 cars per week, far more than the 400 you mentioned..
I don't think the euro versions will be useful for any testing as the feds insist on testing the actual production versions.
The NHTSA and EPA don't actually test vehicles for compliance with federal standards. They define the test procedures and acceptable results: the manufacturer is responsible for conducting the tests and certifying that their vehicles meet the standards. This testing is normally carried out at the manufacturer's own facilities. The resulting certification will be specific to a particular version of the car (e.g. US-spec).
The NHTSA does conduct the NCAP (aka "Star Rating") crash test. This test is not part of the federal regulations, so it's not required in order to sell the vehicle. Nor can a car "fail" the the NCAP test, although a 1 or 2 star rating would clearly be a marketing disaster. I'm sure that smart will want the NCAP test done sooner rather than later, in the hope that a good rating will allay questions about the fortwo's safety. That may where those first four smarts are headed....
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