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SMARTER THAN SMART? Importer says two-seat fortwo is just what America needs.(News)
Byline: MARK VAUGHN
The Smart car could be coming to the United States sooner than you think, and earlier than parent company DaimlerChrysler had planned. When is not exactly certain, but importer Thomas Heidemann is working on it 24/7.
Heidemann has invested $5 million of his and his family's money getting the two-seat Smart fortwo coupe up to U.S. specs. He has gotten it past DOT and NHTSA, but is still awaiting EPA certification (he has submitted all the paperwork, but has not yet heard back from that agency).
DaimlerChrysler's Smart GmbH manufactures several Smart models in Germany, and last year sold 122,300 in 30 countries worldwide. Smart has no plans to sell the fortwo here, but will bring an SUV version of the Smart forfour into the United States in 2006 through an estimated 60 Mercedes dealers. But that's still a ways off.
Given the enthusiasm surrounding the Smart brand, Smart USA general manager Scott Keough isn't surprised importers are working to bring in coupes before the SUV goes on sale through official channels. But he expressed concerns about long-term service for gray-market import versions.
Heidemann's company, Smart Automobiles LLC, plans to sell 15,000 Smart fortwo models a year. The dealer network is being set up by electric-vehicle makers ZAP of Santa Rosa, California (www.zapworld.com). Heidemann is still setting up warranty, dealer training and a number of other necessities.
The German Heidemann got the idea to import Smarts two years ago, about the time gas prices were doing another skyrocket. Heidemann figured a three-cylinder car that got 60 mpg made sense given the ever-rising price of gas. He tried doing his own ...
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Source: HighBeam Research, SMARTER THAN SMART? Importer says two-seat fortwo is just what...