My 1st intro to the Smart + some questions

[carolthompson323]

Well, I first saw the Smart in Cannes (France) in 2000. It was 50,000 French Francs (obviously before the Euro), which translated into $10,000USD. I freaked out over it and, of course, wanted it instantly. I have been calling Mercedes dealerships in Los Angeles for the last 8 years -- each time I called they had no idea about the Smart Car (didn't know it was a joint venture between Swatch Watch and Mercedes) and, of course, didn't know what I was talking about. When I explained about the joint venture, they were ridiculously snooty and said it would never be a car that Mercedes in America would carry. Here we are 8 years later and, boy, things have definitely changed!

I just reserved my own Smart Cabrio 5 days ago and I hope I can contain myself until my car comes in. I'm hoping a Cabrio that is unclaimed appears at Beverly Hills Mercedes and I can somehow get early delivery.

I'm wondering why production is so very small -- I guess it's for economic reasons. Anyone have any info?

Also, does anyone know whether the cars are shipped to Long Beach, CA for delivery in Beverly Hills, CA or does it come by truck from the East Coast? Love to hear your thoughts.

[mike-in-sa]

I was lucky enough to spend a day at the factory in France earlier this year. I had a hundred questions and my guide on my tour answered all of them. The makers of the smart car see themselves as a small specialty car maker. They have two shifts that produce 600-700 cars a day. They don't want to increase production because if demand drops they cannot lay off workers ( French Law). They have been in the red for most of the last ten years and only with the 451 have they started to show a profit. Once they dumped the forfour and the roadster and redesigned the fortwo from bumper to bumper did the start to turn things around. They are in no hurry to change course again. High demand + low output = job security. The assemby line is fascinating and it was neat to see how our little cars are put together.

[Dave Van]

mike-in-sa...............I better understand your icon now.....You are a lucky dog!! I'd love to go to the factory! I am a AMC fan and been to Toledo and Wis....but production was long gone by the time I got there....Sounds neat!

[Rmichael1]

Originally Posted by mike-in-sa

. Once they dumped the forfour and the roadster and redesigned the fortwo from bumper to bumper did the start to turn things around. They are in no hurry to change course again. High demand + low output = job security. The assemby line is fascinating and it was neat to see how our little cars are put together.

They dumped the roadster?! Dang, I thought it was REALLY cool.

Yep, I went to wikipedia and saw that it was dumped in 2005, wow I really missed the boat on that one. Still, I think it as cool.

[carolthompson323]

How lucky is that???!!! I would love to see the factory in France. Thanks for the info -- it makes perfect sense to moi!

[PerryA]

My understanding is that all cars land on the East Coast, but that doesn't mean they move cross country by truck. Since they all originate at one factory in Europe, it is actually faster to bring them into the East Coast and move by land across the country than it would be to move by ship to the West Coast.

Import quotas could be another issue. Mercedes would likely not want a significant reduction in the number of high-end (high-margin) models they could import to bring lower-margin Smarts in. If there are quotas and Smart isn't counted against Mercedes, it may have had lower limits not being an "established" brand or having an established network in the US. Would the Chrysler connection have made this easier? We'll never know.

The production issue makes sense. If you ramp up too much and demand drops, you're stuck with excess capacity. There's lots of competition in Europe in this level of vehicle. US interest could be a "fad" rather than a trend. If it burns out in 18 months. . .. Americans are fickle consumers. We've had three major fuel crises in three decades and what is it you keep seeing on the road? 4.0 Litre SUVs. (I had a Toyota Starlet in the 80s that got 45 city and 54 highway-where are they now?).

If demand here remains strong and new markets (like China) develop where Smart can have a strong presence, they may consider another plant - there should be a few former GM/Ford/Chrysler plants available here soon.

[carolthompson323]

I really appreciate this information. There's obviously a lot of stuff about ordering the Smart that I am just dipping into. I didn't think about the import quotas, but there probably are.

I sincerely hope America doesn't see this car (and other similar cars) as a "fad". And as we well know, bigger doesn't mean better. Our country is in deep _ _ _ _ never mind the world. It's time people start listening and paying attention to the world around them -- Most everyone else lives "smaller" in the world than we in the U. S. do -- in terms of consumption (fuel and possessions and "toys").

Didn't mean to rant and really appreciate your thoughtful post.

[RVGRINGO]

There is steady demand all over the world for Smarts and has been for many years. Just because the USA has finally 'seen the light' doesn't mean that dealers and customers in the rest of the world will be short changed or made to wait for delivery of their cars. As it is, most dealers here in Mexico may only have one or two cars available, or a short wait, under normal circumstances. The rest of the world is less 'picky' about options, colors, etc. and if you want a Smart, you generally buy the one that is available. It would seem that approach would make production faster; fewer colors & fewer options. Here, at 5000 foot altitude with bright sunshine all year, the cabrio isn't as popular because of expense and the likelihood of more rapid deterioration of the fabric. We like our moon roof with sun shade.

[LorbeerTLC]

Actually, there is a port of entry for smart in Long Beach, California.
I live about 45 miles north of Seattle, Washington and my smart was shipped via through Long Beach and then trucked up to smart center Seattle.

-Tom L.

[bottlerocket]

Originally Posted by carolthompson323

I'm hoping a Cabrio that is unclaimed appears at Beverly Hills Mercedes and I can somehow get early delivery.

Good news Carol, there are some of us here that got orphans from BH Mercedes/smart!

I was one of the lucky ones, put my name in early and was lucky enough to be the new owner of a red passion. Of course, its black now like I originally intended it to be!

I still have my reservation in place in case I want to 'upgrade' to something different two years from now (lol)