Earlier this week, German multinational automotive corporation Daimler revealed that they will be ending U.S. and Canada sales of their small Smart car after the 2019 model year.
Reports of Daimler’s decision to stop all North American sales of their Smart Fortwo cars arrived after two sources familiar with the decision shared information with American online publisher TechCrunch. During email correspondence, a Daimler AG spokesperson stated:
“After much careful consideration, smart will discontinue its battery-electric smart EQ fortwo model in the U.S. and Canadian markets at the conclusion of MY2019. A number of factors, including a declining micro-car market in the U.S. and Canada, combined with high homologation costs for a low volume model are central to this decision.”
If the report is to be believed, it is estimated that June will be the final month of production for the Smart Fortwo as model years typically begin and end mid-year. Sales of the small electric vehicle will most likely continue through to the end of the year.
While the announcement may come as a surprise to some, it’s worth noting that Daimler will not be killing off the Smart line altogether. Back in March, Daimler announced via blog post that they would be forming a joint venture with Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, a privately held global automotive group headquartered in the city of Hangzhou, to transition the Smart line into an all-electric brand based in China.
At the time of the announcement, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche stated:
“Our smallest vehicle still has huge potential – in China and beyond. Geely is the right partner to take advantage of these opportunities. Together, we want to make sure that smart can be – more clearly than ever before – what it has been from the very start: a pioneer of urban mobility.”
Despite Daimler putting an end to North American sales of the Smart Fortwo, existing owners can find comfort in the fact that Smart and authorized Mercedes-Benz dealers will continue to provide owners with service and replacement parts whenever needed.
Source: TechCrunch
