Penske raises sales outlook for smart fortwo in U.S.
Looks like the decision by Penske Automotive to be the Official U.S. Distributor for the smart brand of cars was... uh, smart. According to reports, smart new car sales are one particular bright spot for the company, which saw sales from other outlets drop somewhat. Used cars also did rather well for the company's range of dealerships across America. Penske Automotive Group Chairman Roger Penske says, "With the rise in gas prices, we saw a rapid shift in consumer demand to more fuel efficient vehicles." For the second quarter which just ended in June, 7,731 smart fortwos were delivered, raising the year-to-date wholesale delivery total to 12,646 vehicles.
Sales for the little car are expected to remain strong. Amazingly, some 20,000 advance orders were placed in the months of May and June alone, prompting Penske Automotive to raise the sales outlook from around 20K to between 24,000 and 27,500 units in 2008, smart's first year on the U.S. market.
[Source: AFP via Google News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sasparilla 5:52PM (8/01/2008)
The advance orders are particularly amazing when you consider the not particularly good mileage (for the size car or compared to its deisel variant in Europe) that this car gets. That said, this would be the perfect in city car, compared with whats out there.
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GoodCheer 6:25PM (8/01/2008)
It's pretty amazing looking at these things on eBay. They're going for $8,000 OVER MSRP. It's a bigger markup than Prius, Yaris, Mini, Fit.... any of the now popular small cars.
Of course if you (suddenly) realize that driving a smaller car is easier, parking is easier, and paying for gas is easier, then this is the pinnacle of your car search.
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MarkT 10:45PM (8/02/2008)
We had a first generation Smart and loved it. The least stressful car I have ever owned. Most people who comment negatively have never even sat in one and everyone we took in it was surprised how spacious and comfortable it was. The gearchange takes a bit of getting used to. Easily the best car around town and I would highly recommend it as a second car.
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Mike!!ekiM 12:31PM (8/02/2008)
- This would be a perfect city/suburban/ex-burb car as far as I'm concerned, for a two car family.
- But, I'm still waiting for the electric version...
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