The Transition from smart USA to MB USA began the beginning of June and was complete July 1 2011
That was 29 days ago.
On June 9th we got a letter from Tracey Matura, incoming General Manager, smart, posted here smart USA insider
The insider site has been rearranged so the spammers get top billing right now. You now have to look off in the sidebar to the right to find the message from June 9th
On Saturday June 11th two reps from MB USA left us at the dock after the ferry ride at the Dells event.
We have not heard anything new since then.
The Dealership network has many holes in it that they don't seem to care if they fill.
As of yet no new advertising has begun.
Is this what we shall expect from the new leadership in the states?
And you folks had so many bad thing to say about Jill and Penske
This really is a sad state of affairs as not only has THE TRANSITION created quite a quagmire, smart/MBUSA apparently have no captain on their rudderless ship?
Current owner or potential buyer, no real "feel good" about the lack of direction here.
This really is a sad state of affairs as not only has THE TRANSITION created quite a quagmire, smart/MBUSA apparently have no captain on their rudderless ship?
The silence is growing louder with each passing day. It's fair to say M-B USA doesn't owe any of us an inside look at their corporate plans and operations. It's also fair to say (at least IMHO) that each day that passes without some word from smart USA in Montvale contributes to the feeling that things are not going well for the smart brand in the USA. Hope I'm wrong...
I can't believe they started working on this when they took CONTROL on July 1. They knew what was going to happen back in Feb.They seem gone now. I think they are struggling with what to do with the entire presence of what to do with smart in the US. We may be dealing with a Yugo situation.
Can we please let MB-usa get use to the day to day operations before we start going after them for not advertising car and other various things. I mean penske had 3 years and done nothing with it. Yes MB-USA needs to advertise and do many other things with the car, But that being said lets just give them a little time. I mean one month really isnt much time IMHO.
They Grabbed control from Penske back in February. Jill's crew stepped aside the first of the month.
You have to think that MB USA had a plan for the brand before February. If your a company like Mb you don;t just grab smart of a whim.
So in fact they have had since the Chicago auto show in February to get their act together.
All the kings horses, all the kings men, are not going to put smart together again.
Only selling 330 units last month. How do you keep a car company going here in the states. The smart cars operating cost have to be immense! I really don't feel advertising is going to save this company. I bet MB is thinking of killing the smart here. Importing the A class cars over, and rebadge it might save smart brand. Really what info, does everyone want. I say just drive and enjoy your car.
MB dealer near me claims that they welcome smarts and even had one out front a few weeks ago. I'll report back in about 3,500 miles when I'm due for my 20k.
I think MB is playing the wait-and-see game, and will remain in a holding pattern (with respect to the smart car line) until after its MB dealers are fully trained AND it has made every effort to get refusing MB dealers to carry the car line.
MB may also be waiting to see if any of its dealers appear to have little intent to sell and service the smart line - with the possibility of revoking their smart franchise and selling it.
It could take months before any new smart car centers might materialize.
OK guys........Back from the first meeting....Good turnout BTW
Here's what we do know with M-B.
They are re-launching the brand. There are (we know already) liberal leasing plans and there will be a "Certified Pre-owned Program". That's good news for the value of the older cars
M-b is putting up nearly $24,000,000 (that's with a M) for TV ads to be starting in October this year.
There are going to be five (5) parts distribution centers, so parts availability will be greatly improved.
AND eventually ALL M-B dealers will be at least equipped to be able to read the computers in the smart. Allows for more (or less) repair work to be done so you may not have to drive hundreds of miles with an ill smartie.
No real changes in the car until 2014 when the new version comes out and the Renault/smart venture 4 door arrives. Diesels will then also become a reality.
They are re-launching the brand. There are (we know already) liberal leasing plans and there will be a "Certified Pre-owned Program". That's good news for the value of the older cars
M-b is putting up nearly $24,000,000 (that's with a M) for TV ads to be starting in October this year.
There are going to be five (5) parts distribution centers, so parts availability will be greatly improved.
AND eventually ALL M-B dealers will be at least equipped to be able to read the computers in the smart. Allows for more (or less) repair work to be done so you may not have to drive hundreds of miles with an ill smartie.
No real changes in the car until 2014 . . . Diesels will then also become a reality.
I have a friend who used to work at a VW dealer back in the day. They never turned a VW away. The worked on anything VW that came in whether it was sold in this country or not. Brasilia's, Fridolin's, Mexican Beetles, Kubelwagons. It didn't matter. If they couldn't get parts they just told you so. They would do what they could. I think it is very narrow minded of MB to to not be trained on every car they sell or try to accomodate them. Where do Unimog owners go? Same as us? So sorry, that's not sold here, let me cover my eyes until you remove it from sight.
I think it is very narrow minded of MB to to not be trained on every car they sell or try to accomodate them. Where do Unimog owners go? Same as us? So sorry, that's not sold here, let me cover my eyes until you remove it from sight.
You're right, it is narrow minded. But to a lot of dealerships it isn't about helping the customer, it is about the bottom line. If they aren't trained on how to work on a specific vehicle and NOBODY at the dealership can work on it, they will see little profit off of it and lots of headaches. Sucks, but it's the truth. Some dealerships care, want to establish relationships with their customers to ensure they will be REPEAT customers. Others could care less and are just looking to make as much money as possible as quickly as possible.
FYI, I know that Mercedes of San Diego has about half a dozen techs that are old-school trained. I'm not talking that the guys are old as dirty and worked on Benz's in the '70s, I'm talking about them having gone for 'recently' for factory training on maintaining and repairing the older vehicles, BEYOND the training they get on the latest/greatest cars and systems that the dealership is selling. When a service writer has a customer come in with a 'vintage' car (say '80s or older), it goes into the queue for these guys and they get the work order for it. Honestly, are you going to want some wet-behind-the-ears tech that only knows how to diagnose the problem on a new Benz based on what the computer systems are telling him to even LOOK at a car that is running carbs or K-Jet injection? I would guess they are going to start sending a small group of techs from each dealership off to get this type of cross-training for Smarts, it only makes sense especially if they have allowances for it in the training system anyway.
I have not been over to the Smart Center at this dealership yet since M_B 'took over'. This center was located at a Penske operated Benz dealership though, so I don't think I'm going to see much of a change overall.
The answer Forest is no. I can confirm that the new DVI/smart is working hard to get the things we all want for smart to happen. Since you are using the Ballgame metaphor I'll respond in kind. They have assembled a pro team with a leader who 'gets' what the smart is about and has team members who are on the same page. Until DVI got the 'keys to their 'smart' they could only work on the 'closing' with smartUSA. What we knew as smartUSA is gone as of July 1. You and I got used to the posts from Dave S. And then Jill. on sUSAi. Remember that they spoke from the top of the hill, but rarely to owners directly. Dave was more public than Jill, but she did post announcements. Those posts on the sUSAi main page were soothing to us, but not satisfying. Yes, there were no posts after June 10. Yes, none since July 1. And here we are July 29. And all you have heard is two press releases and just the other day a change to the sUSAi main page in a attempt to clean the stagnant posts. Since you and I like many of our fellow smart owners, are on sUSAi and this site almost every day we are waiting for the Huddle to break and see our team run the ball. There is much more to this than we know. There has been constant work going on with the whole DVI/smart team. Back in June there was a meeting in NJ for all the smartCenter dealers new and old. The team went to France to learn about smart and how the smart-MB relationship works there, to bring that kind of system to the US. When Penske brought the car to us it took him more than a few months and we know that the smartCenter network was nowhere near perfect. Right now the smart hardly exists in the public eye and it's the same with the American MB dealers, The smart is going from a 'Mom and Pop' type shop to the size and power of MB in the USA. It's still going to take until the fourth quarter of this year to see the public face of smart emerge. I have reached out to and have received response from several folks at DVI personally. I never received a word other than a 'we're working on it' boilerplate with smartUSA about the same issues that you are concerned with. I tried since 2009 to no avail.
This is a major change with DVI/smart over smartUSA. I can tell you right now that they realize that the current owners on sUSAi and elsewhere are the key to marketing the smart. They want to hear from our voice and know it is important to understand how to market the smart in the US. Now that the team is back in NJ. They soon will be reaching out to us. Not by a meaningless 'proclamation' on sUSAi or here, but through a actual human to human dialogue. This, just like the smart, is a unique thing.
We are in a 24/7 internet world, the real world, the offline world, runs at the same speed it always has, we have waited for the car to come to the US. We have waited for smartUSA to run with the ball instead they tossed it to Tracey, Julia, Sean, and Deirdre. Again a small core team to lead smart, with a big difference...they 1) Have MBusa and Daimler behind them. 2) They come from Daimler not Penske/Detroit. and 3) They know that to move forward they need to see where smart has been and is right now, that means us, the owners will be involved to help. They have already started on the foundation and have done a lot in 29 days. More than we know right now. Make your list of what you think will make smart the car for a 'Open minded' American. Go post it here: smartownerfocusgroup
Time to support your team.
MJB
That group is so dead, And what is the point of saying anything in that group if no one is listening. It is not like the new team has acknowledged it exists yet.
Most of the posts in this thread point out an information vacuum from the new smart USA team. They have numerous avenues to fill that vacuum but haven't done so since June 9th - hence all the rumors and speculation. We don't need all the nitty gritty of their behind-the-scenes work, just some assurance that they understand the car, have the owners interests at heart and have concrete plans to keep the current model viable until the next gen Daimler/Renault fortwo arrives (which I personally see as a 50/50 proposition right now.)
Most of the posts in this thread point out an information vacuum from the new smart USA team. They have numerous avenues to fill that vacuum but haven't done so since June 9th - hence all the rumors and speculation. We don't need all the nitty gritty of their behind-the-scenes work, just some assurance that they understand the car, have the owners interests at heart and have concrete plans to keep the current model viable until the next gen Daimler/Renault fortwo arrives (which I personally see as a 50/50 proposition right now.)
And a big part of that is the dealer network.
Early on in the transition we were told the stand alone dealers would lose there franchise but not to worry, New MB dealers will take there place.
When comments about the full force of MB USA is now behind smart are spoken, we expect that to include service to current owners.
All the reports we have heard from areas of the country now abandoned have not been promising. They are being told directly to drive 300 miles to get ">>>>" repaired. If you had a safety problem with your MB would you drive 300 miles to get it fixed? This is just BS
All the reports we have heard from areas of the country now abandoned have not been promising. They are being told directly to drive 300 miles to get ">>>>" repaired. If you had a safety problem with your MB would you drive 300 miles to get it fixed? This is just BS
This is the big issue they have to overcome IMHO. Apparently many M-B dealers are pushing back on handling the smart and having the 1-800 line give out the above info (what else can they say, really?) is not building confidence there will be a smart dealer on every corner. With monthly sales nationwide in the 300 - 400 range, what business owner wants to jump on that? I'm not looking for a big increase in dealerships any time soon.
So they are going to start a certified used program for smarts. Where are these used smarts going to come from?
Maybe they should run up to Minneapolis with a few car carriers and relieve those abandoned owners of there orphans to sell where they can get service. Then all those former smart owners can get a new car they can enjoy without the anxiety of not knowing what to do if something goes wrong.
And those poor folks don't even have a car-max to sell there car to.
Although my car is out of the warranty period, I would be reluctant to purchase a replacement car even with the exceptional dealer in Madison, but still a 3-4 hour drive away. it does not instill a feeling of confidence to say they are working on getting a dealer and then nothing happens. They would have been better off keeping the independent dealer until they had a new one set up, and a smooth transition in place. Since Lupient still has their computer setup, why not just let them continue as the dealer until something else is in place????
Yes, that would have been an ideal time for MB to drop the US 451 brand. They could have blamed it on Penske. ( We may never know the real story why P never advertised the Smart but I would guess it was little or no Co-Op money from MB.)
Perhaps they felt it was too big a blow to the MB image to just dump it, and instead will just let it trickle away until they can replace it with another small car. A2Jack
Whew, I thought it stood for Double Vision International, where you pretend you see two smarts for every one sold.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Smart Car of America Forum
797K posts
63.7K members
Since 2002
A forum community dedicated to all Smart Car owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, troubleshooting, economy, maintenance, and more!