smart USA Starts Road Show; 12,600 Have Made Deposit
10 May 2007
United Auto Group’s subsidiary, smart USA Distributor, is launching a 50-city road show 19 May to introduce the smart fortwo to US consumers. The smart fortwo is scheduled to be available in the US in the first quarter of 2008.
Already, 12,600 potential buyers have placed a $99 deposit to reserve a fortwo. Reservation and tour information is on the smart USA web site.
That's a very small deposit. I'm not sure how much actual firm demand those 12,600 deposits represent, but at least it's a cool million in the bank, cash, for the distributor almost a year before he has to deliver anything.
Posted by: NBK-Boston | 10 May 2007 at 10:28 AM
Closer to 1.2 Mil. by by calculations. I wish my business could
have preorders for potential customers. This should be a wake
up call, to those behemoths rolling off the assembly lines
right now. It looks like some MORE dealer incentives comming to
a showroom near you. I think these manurfacturer incentives,
by future customers, may have the potential to drive this
ever evolving auto industry. Costomers, voting with their
dollars, in a battle to get what they want, could be a powerful
thing. I hope the stalwarts are paying close attention. Capitalism,
and its system of checks and ballances seems to
be transforming along with market efficiencies.
Posted by: William | 10 May 2007 at 11:37 AM
Man, that is one small azz car, until you hear about the high mpg.
Posted by: Gerald Shields | 10 May 2007 at 05:53 PM
And at $11,000,it's inexpensive.
Posted by: Gerald Shields | 10 May 2007 at 06:00 PM
its US mileage isn't that much higher than a Corolla or Yaris, and one of its main benefits in Europe – small size allowing parking almost anywhere, including cramped city centers – is mostly a moot point in the US since most cities were designed with cars in mind, quite unlike Europe.
i'm also guessing that there won't be a diesel model in the US either.
so what happened to ZAP?
Posted by: lensovet | 11 May 2007 at 01:16 AM