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Smart Formore "dead", future of Smart itself uncer

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Overheat

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The Smart brand "could be expunged", said DaimlerChrysler CEO Juergen Schrempp, talking to business analysts in Munich last week. Automotive News reports that Schrempp also said that "we are known for unpopular decisions", and that there was no solid forward plan of action for the as-yet unprofitable small car brand, but that a decision on whether to kill it off would be taken by the end of April. An announcement could be made earlier at DaimlerChrysler's annual shareholders' meeting on April 6th.

The launch of the Formore compact MPV, originally scheduled for autumn 2006 and to launch the Smart brand in the USA, was postponed last year. It was pulled from DC's display at the Detroit Motor Show at the last minute. Although DaimlerChrysler's official stance is that the Formore has been put on hold, Automotive News quotes suppliers to DC as saying "as far as we are concerned, the vehicle is dead". Smart has lost $3.4bn in the past five years, and losses this year could reach $790m since sales of the Forfour supermini have been disappointing and well below targets.
 
Well it's an ugly, overpriced plastic car that isn't even very economical. And that goes to all Smarts. Let it die, I say.
 
All the yuppies in Vancouver will be dissapointed. The Smart FourTwo has become really popular here. I see atleast a half dozen every day. :?

I'll be glad to not have to look at any more of them though. :p
 
It would be nice if they would keep the Smart Roadster around. I think it has potential. Atleast if they would drop the price. But the taller Forfours and ForTwos... Just get rid of them.
 
Smart without roof (Roadster and the ForTwo cabriolet) are just whacko cars, actually real fun. Since there isn't a lot of car around you, it's perfect for little summer driving.
 
You people just don't get it. :p The original Smart was a very nice city car. A bit expensive maybe, but who cares? It was only meant as a second or third car for quite well-off people anyway. It was very original and, well, smart. The Roadster was damn nice, but just failed because of the poor engine (you can get Hayabusa conversions though, and as such it's one of my all time dream cars). And how about the Crossblade? I can't believe people always went on about how it doesn't have a roof and you're going to get wet when it rains and so on. So what? As a toy for cruising around town on a summer day, it's great. It all started to go wrong with the ForFour though (the name alone... *barf*). It's just a plain car with the old body panel trick. This is the one Smart that really is too expensive, because it doesn't set itself apart from the competition. Hell, the CityCoupe didn't even have any true competition. The SUV they were planning was going to be even worse. Perhaps the big mistake was to try to make Smart a complete brand, with lots of different models. That was always going to be difficult. Ah well, that's what you get for letting the people at Mercedes in charge. They have some real idiots working for them. Anyone remember the Vaneo? :lol:
 
Am I the only one that ever liked Smarts here?
 
the smart is a great car for the city folks, but not
enuff of them are smart enuff to but it =\
 
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