Right! I was going to suggest that the first 300 car delivery will barely fill a single cargo container.
The "Boat Load"
I’d like to witness a “full boat load” of smarts arriving in '08; it would be impressive. As best I can divine it, the smarts will be shipped between Zeebrugge, Belgium and Baltimore, MD by Wallenius-Wilhelmsen Line. W-W L’s “pure car carrier” fleet includes a ship with a capacity of 8,000 standard size cars – maybe 18,000 smarts, maybe more. Wow!!
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Needless to say, I was being facetious as well about the 300 Smarts in a single container, but it is amusing to think how little space will be required to ship an entire production week's worth of cars (about 400) to the states.Lhoboy,
I was being facetious about 18,000 plus smarts in a car carrier (PCTC).
I don't think the euro versions will be useful for any testing as the feds insist on testing the actual production versions.For one thing, the tranny, a significant component, will be different. It would make sense that the first four US versions would be used first for the EPA tests and then the crash tests.I was sort of guessing that the 20-or-so Euro 451 road show vehicles might be used for the testing after they had served their purpose. The bodies, engines, and drive trains are substantially the same.
Well, since they are producing about 20,000 vehicles for the U.S. in 2008 and there are 52 weeks in a year, that comes to 385 cars per week.I don't know were you got your info but the weekly production is 3365 cars per week, far more than the 400 you mentioned..
Your number may be citing their total production for global distribution.
I have now heard that the Smart is assembled in 1) Switzerland, 2) Germany, and 3) France. Does anyone have a valid reference source (no, not the media) as to where these cars are actually assembled?I wonder how the Smart factory in France will suddenly increase production to accommodate the increased demand from US?
Uhhhhh, I'm not so certain about a French car. A Chinese one might be better. I'd rather have lead in my paint than benzene in my water or anti-freeze in my wine.If you poke around in the Canadian smartcar user's site (clubsmartcar.ca), you'll find some posts by folks who have visited the factory in Hambach, France.
Smart Development History
Here is a link to the Smart Development history: Smart Development
It confirms the location of assembly as Humbach, France.
Here is a link to the Smart Development history: Smart Development
It confirms the location of assembly as Humbach, France.
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