Measures to shorten purchase process

Startup costs for a new plant are insane. The Smart has been produced in Europe for 10 years, so they can produce a car there for half as much as it might cost to create one here. Plus, add in training time and production line efficiency, and it's a 10+ year investment. They need to see how the car does in this market for a while before making that level of commitment.

With the economy in the shape it is, I imagine the wait time for a new car should start to decrease dramatically.

rwjrn said:

With the economy in the shape it is, I imagine the wait time for a new car should start to decrease dramatically.

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only time will tell, but i bet you're right.......

Another possible facility to build the Smart, how about Marysville, Ohio? Honda builds the Accord and the Ridgeline in Marysville, Ohio which is 30 minutes from me. They are coming up to 25 years in Marysville. The only reason they opened a factory in Marysville, Ohio, was that our then-governor, Rhodes, owned land there and sold it to Honda and gave them a 25-year tax abatement.

My step-dad was telling me this morning that probably next year they are coming up on their 25th year in Marysville, and after that, Honda will have to start paying taxes. They will probably vacate that facility and go elsewhere. If they leave this huge factory vacant, maybe Smart can take it over and build cars there.

Thoughts?

Mercedes has a great setup in Alabama that could be used, however the smart is a botique item for Mercedes and I doubt you will ever see another plant except maybe.... in China for their consumption. The only thing that matters is that smart is now profitable.