Just got back from Minneapolis Auto show - NO smart cars. WTF!

[mnext02]

what a joke. why wouldnt they have any???

[spdickey]

Might want to talk to these folks who would have been the most likely to pay to exhibit:

Minnesota smart center Bloomington - Minneapolis/St. Paul
8033 Knox Avenue
Bloomington, MN 55431
Gene Backer
(952) 837-6363

[ckigar]

The smarts at the Kansas City auto show were getting more attention (more crowd) than anything else.

The ONLY vehicle at the show I thought was interesting (new, unique) was the mini clubman. There just didn't seem to be anything more interesting to me than MY car! There were certainly some gorgeous cars (cadillac cts, jag, mercedes) but I went to see what is new... and just didn't spot much

[MnDlrSmartGuy]

Originally Posted by mnext02

what a joke. why wouldnt they have any???

Ouch! Tough room... Really sorry that you feel that way, but the main reason we made the decision to opt-out was actually two-fold:

#1) With only two cars available for demo/show & tell, we felt that our Thought Leaders and potential customers would actually be better served by us if we stayed home and kept the cars in service, not only available for viewing, but for test drives as well - which is really what makes the smartie the STAR of the show wherever it is!

#2) Its a fact that cars simply get damaged at the Auto Show. Broken switches and missing parts could, and likely would, create downtime for our small dealership, and more importantly the customers who want to get behind the wheel and experience "smartness". ;)

Finally, folks seemed to have not really minded travelling the 10 minutes from downtown out to the smartcenter to spend time with us - away from the huge crowds. It really seemed like a win/win for everyone overall!!

Best, J

[eqwalker]

Well, I'm really not from that area, and could really not care either way, but I have been to many, many car shows (participated in them as well with the Vette), but I would think that if I couldn't at least have a car(s) there to show, then I wouldn't have any presence there at all. As far as myself, and a lot of others that I know that do the show scene, if I seen a sign or a booth promoting a car (unless it wasn't in production yet), but no car(s) there to look at, then I would be thinking..."you think I'm going to consider that car if you are not good enough, or too proud to even have one at the show?..no way". Even though that may have not been the intention of the dealer, I know for a fact that some would get that impression. I have actually seen it happen many times. It would have been better for the dealer to probably not have a presence at all if no cars were available. I would not even mention this, but I have seen that happen many times at various shows. Jmo.

[MnDlrSmartGuy]

Thanks for your input. Maybe next year... ;)

[Learn2relax]

Originally Posted by mnext02

what a joke. why wouldnt they have any???

just a guess, maybe they don't need to promote anymore cuz they sold out most units for a year ahead in your area ?
I'm just guessing, don't take it personnal.

[mdfortwoguy]

There were not any at the DC auto show either. We have 3 dealers in the metro area, so I'm not sure what their excuse was... I can understand from an area with 1 small dealer.

That being said, the DC auto show sucked, and I will not be returning. Then again, I went to NAIAS the past 5 years in a row, so that ruined auto shows for me for good