Fortwo Debuts in Brazil - USA, we're lucky!

Carl242 · 03-29-2009, 12:22 PM

Smart just started selling cars in Sao Paulo, Brazil. What an ideally suited car for that city, where the traffic is so bad that many higher-level business people take helicopters to work. My wife (a Brazilian) told me that her friend called from home since he saw the launch on TV and was reminded of us. It seems to be available only in Passion trim, in coupe and cabrio. He said the price, and I was astonished.

From Smart.com.br

Modelo Preço
smart fortwo 62kw coupé R$ 57.900
smart fortwo 62kw cabrio R$ 64.900

With today's exchange rate, that would be $26,000 for the coupe, and in a country where average wages are much lower! We should think ourselves lucky to live in the place where the Fortwo can be obtained for the lowest price in the world.

Big Panda · 03-29-2009, 01:37 PM

I feel VERY fortunate to live in the US. Owning a smart is simply 'gravy'.....

dennyrex · 03-29-2009, 01:46 PM

There are pretty severe import fees on cars in Brazil, I remember Renault Twingos went for far more than the domestically made Renault Clio. Brazil has a pretty big auto industry (their first domestic production in 1956 was the ISO licensed Romi-Isetta). With an import only brand (unless smart is considering expanding a factory in Brazil in the future - not a bad idea...) the price is going to be high. Nice to see it being made available though. I don't think they're counting on big volume sales.

BigWarpGuy · 03-29-2009, 02:18 PM

Brazil has their own version of the Smart called the Obvio 828 and 012. I wonder if the higher price is to help the Obvio company?

Will the Brazilian Smart be a flex fuel vehicle? Both vehicles (above and below) are flex fuel vehicles.

It seems there might be news of it coming to the USA but have not heard anything lately.

WhiteNBlack08 · 03-29-2009, 04:37 PM

I hope the Brazilian version can run on straight ethanol. Brazil is a HUGE producer of ethanol, 90% of the vehicles there run on pure ethanol, not E85.

GHammerly · 03-29-2009, 06:46 PM

If the car is not built from MercoSur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay) they are taxed heavily. The class gap tends to be bigger in those countries, the few wealthy are the only ones buying imports.