Joined
·
30,162 Posts
smart goes all electric from 2020
1 - 20 of 32 Posts
Joined
·
472 Posts
You know, when they first announced that they were doing away with the gas models, I was pretty surprised. After seeing all of the announcements by other manufacturers over the past few months, I get it now. Still a shame since the Smart brand will struggle here in America. I don’t see how it will keep going when they didn’t even sell 1,000 EDs last year in the States.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It's gone from a niche "brand" to a hobby in the U.S.
Joined
·
787 Posts
I believe that as fleets find ways to meet the CAFE standards, the CAFE standards will get changed. MB could make its entire product line all-electric and it won't matter in the end. I believe that CAFE is designed to steer the US and the states into instituting 'pay-per-mile driven' taxes in my lifetime - and it won't replace the taxes at the gas pump.
Joined
·
18,158 Posts
European sales of both 453 variants make me sad.
Smart European sales figures
With two models, smart only sold 3k more units in 2016 than when the 451 was opened up to more markets in 2008. 2017 doesn’t appear to be a hot sales year either. I wonder if this weaker demand was a contributing factor to smart calling their formula quits and basically reinventing themselves come 2020?
Smart European sales figures
With two models, smart only sold 3k more units in 2016 than when the 451 was opened up to more markets in 2008. 2017 doesn’t appear to be a hot sales year either. I wonder if this weaker demand was a contributing factor to smart calling their formula quits and basically reinventing themselves come 2020?
Joined
·
4,682 Posts
We bought our first one right at the turn of smart's biggest year and the second biggest year. Those figures were enhanced by the first forfour. But it's pretty hard to see how they can continue much longer. The only way to sell a cheap car profitably is through high volume.
Joined
·
15 Posts
are ED sales down because 453?
or 453 sales down because ED?
or 453 sales down because ED?
Now 09 451 Passion Cabriolet Met Blue & Silver First 08 451 Passion Cabriolet Yellow & Black
Joined
·
2,343 Posts
The last time they were up in the US was 2008. :shrug: It isn't the 453 fault I have heard it is MUCH better than my either my 08 or current 09 cabrio.
The smart gas fueled car was designed as a European micro city car. Never intended for our shores much less for the w I d e open spaces of North America. Over here it is more of a novelty, niche vehicle with limited use. Great cute factor, but not much more. Far more practical 4 seaters getting better gas mileage on regular gas not PREMIUM with real automatic transmissions.
Now add an electric smart into the marketplace with a EPA range of 58 miles, Stop selling Gas models and shrink your dealer network to currently 27 dealers for all of the US.
I think you see the where the smart brand in the US is going?
Joined
·
51 Posts
um...453 sales are down because of the ED only offerings, of course! How can you expect a car to sell when the infrastructure to make it viable is unavailable. It would be like selling a gas car, with no gas stations. Who will buy it? NO ONE! On top of that, the range is only 58 miles. I am willing to bet that in 2 years Smart will no longer be a company and people will flock to Fiat or the Chevy Spark if they need a small car. It is a shame, since the 453 is so much better than the 451 in ever way imaginable. I had it for a week as a rental and could not believe I was driving a Smart.
Now 09 451 Passion Cabriolet Met Blue & Silver First 08 451 Passion Cabriolet Yellow & Black
Joined
·
2,343 Posts
The fact that the 453 is SO much improved your words and a lot of others only shows that other than cutness the 451 was pretty mediocre and less.
Smart is a manufacturing arm of Daimler, thus deep pockets.
I think smart will stay around but only in Europe and maybe China or India?????? Those markets Need electric vehicles, due to killer pollution and I mean literally Killer pollution, but selling price will be the biggest obstacles. Just think about the market potential of those two markets. The US market is nothing compared to China and India.
Then again infrastructure will dictate what happens over there.
Joined
·
51 Posts
Exactly! The car is going for near 30k here. It makes no sense for such a small car to cost so much, and that, combined with all its other shortcoming, will be the death of it here in the US, at least.
It is a shame, because I live in NYC and I rely on that for parking. Without that car I would be pulling out my hair trying to find parking, or paying $550/month for a spot. If it wasn't for the change over to electric I was going to buy a new Smart this year. Too bad.
Now 09 451 Passion Cabriolet Met Blue & Silver First 08 451 Passion Cabriolet Yellow & Black
Joined
·
2,343 Posts
Quick question. Does NYC allow you to pull into a parallel space, instead of parking parallel?
Joined
·
51 Posts
They do not.
Joined
·
18,158 Posts
Neither. From the looks of it, 453 ED sales work mostly independent of 453 ICE. Basically a lot of ED buyers are either people who would have otherwise not bought a smart or current ICE owners.
The problem comes with the new forfour. Theoretically, the new forfour should have worked like the old forfour and pumped up sales. Instead, what it did was poach sales from the fortwo while itself not selling that strong either. That means that smart now has two models, but not much of an improvement in overall sales.
I wonder then, is the 2020 plan smart's response to the relatively lukewarm 453 launch?
Joined
·
10,122 Posts
smart failed here, with the new ICE model. MB never advertise a new product. They should have offered the forfour. A lot more practical vehicle, to compete with the Chevy Spark, and other small cars sold here.
smart is only, offering a over priced EV, with a 58 mile range. A 2 seater. Not across the country too. 27 dealers. Other EV brands have a large market base, here in NA. Those brands have improved their driving range too. We have EV charging station everywhere here, in my city. Lots of BMW i3's, Chevy Bolts, Nissan Leafs, Tesla's, on road.
Our, MB dealership chose to drop the smart brand here. So much for smart EV's here.
smart is only, offering a over priced EV, with a 58 mile range. A 2 seater. Not across the country too. 27 dealers. Other EV brands have a large market base, here in NA. Those brands have improved their driving range too. We have EV charging station everywhere here, in my city. Lots of BMW i3's, Chevy Bolts, Nissan Leafs, Tesla's, on road.
Our, MB dealership chose to drop the smart brand here. So much for smart EV's here.
Now 09 451 Passion Cabriolet Met Blue & Silver First 08 451 Passion Cabriolet Yellow & Black
Joined
·
2,343 Posts
Were you referring to the North American U.S. Market or the European Market?
Joined
·
51 Posts
My question is, how long will they offer parts for the gas Smarts? I imagine if most of the dealers close (which many already have!), that parts availability will be close to nil because there are very few of these cars on the road as it is, and aftermarket support is close to nothing. I wish it were like when GM got rid of Olds and Pontiac, where they were just rebadged cars anyway, so there would always be parts. There are no other cars like the Smart.
Joined
·
18,158 Posts
Pretty much forever. Mercedes-Benz is better with parts availability than most. Now how long will those parts remain affordable? Maybe 10 years or so after the sale of the last petrol in Europe?
1 - 20 of 32 Posts
