Dead: smart USA.

"Mercedes Streeter" (smart) 04/29/2019 at 14:44 • Filed to: Smart

2

24

Daimler pulls the plug on electric smart car sales in US, Canada

Daimler is ending sales of its diminutive all-electric smart fortwo cars in the U.S. and Canada, officially pulling the plug on a vehicle that has struggled to gain ground in North America as the German automaker prepares to bring the brand to China, TechCrunch has learned.

Smart won’t be sold in the U.S. and Canada after the 2019 model year, Daimler AG confirmed after two sources familiar with the decision shared the information with TechCrunch.

“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 Daimler AG spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement. “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.”

MBUSA and Mercedes-Benz Canada will continue to provide owners of gasoline-powered and electric smart fortwo models with access to service and replacement parts via smart and authorized Mercedes-Benz dealers, the company told TechCrunch.

Model years begin and end mid-year, suggesting that June will be the final month of production. Sales of the vehicles will continue through end the of the year.

Source

I’m not even mad. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Their reluctance to advertise, the tiny dealer network, their refusal to import desirable models like the faster turbos, more spacious (and competitive) forfour, or high mpg diesel...the failings go all the way back to the brand’s US introduction in 2008. For far too long smart USA has cried “why won’t anyone buy our cars?” while doing exactly nothing to help themselves. The only partially solved fire problem and other reliability challenges only made the situation worse.

We also won’t talk about the ED/EQ with its advertised 58 mile range. In reality t hey can go 100+ miles in optimal conditions. . So why the low number? MB wanted to be “forward thinking” by voluntarily rating what the car should get in poor conditions with a ** high mileage battery with less than 3/4 capacity. This would be like Apple advertising a new iPhone’s battery life as what the battery is like after 3 years of use. Just...why...

** Real world data would indicate that to get the battery depletion MB used (70%) you would have to drive something like 500,000 miles.

With that said, at least smart managed to kill the Toyota iQ in the US, a feat I’m still surprised about.

I accept condolences in the form of more smarts added to my collection. :D

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

fhrblig > Mercedes Streeter 04/29/2019 at 14:41

2

They ought to drop a lot in price now for sure. Why do I get the feeling you’re going to have a fleet of 100 Smarts withi n the next 5 years?

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > Mercedes Streeter 04/29/2019 at 14:43

2

Pulling the plug on an electric car company.

Quite fitting.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Mercedes Streeter 04/29/2019 at 14:43

0

I had a nice chat with a guy in an electric smart the other night. Shockingly low mileage on those, can’t remember the number but it was small.

Honeybunchesofgoats > Mercedes Streeter 04/29/2019 at 14:45

5

Just speaking anecdotally, the fact that there are way more 500s on the road than Smarts suggests that someone at MB really fucked up. 

Mercedes Streeter > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/29/2019 at 14:47

1

They can go 100+ miles in optimal conditions, however the official rating is 58 miles. Why? Because MB wanted to be “forward thinking” by voluntarily rating what the car should get in poor conditions with a **high mileage battery with less than 3/4 capacity. What’s forward thinking about that? Your guess is as good as mine. lol

**Real world data would indicate that to get the battery depletion MB used (70%) you would have to drive something like 500,000 miles.

ranwhenparked > Mercedes Streeter 04/29/2019 at 14:47

3

They were technically dead the moment they dropped the ICE versions and decided not to federalize t he ForFour, this just makes it official.

Now, they probably would have still lost money on those, but at least it would have sent a message that they were trying and not going down without a fight. 

Mercedes Streeter > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/29/2019 at 14:52

1

Honestly, I bet if they copied Fiat USA’s strategy for the 500 they probably would have sold far more units.

Mercedes Streeter > fhrblig 04/29/2019 at 14:53

0

Not before I have 100 motorcycles! :D

phenotyp > Mercedes Streeter 04/29/2019 at 14:55

1

Disappointing and unsurprising, in equal measure.

ranwhenparked > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/29/2019 at 15:03

6

The 500 has typically been priced more aggressively, and also has a back seat - you can argue about how usable that seat is for the typical American, but it is there and can be used. I'm sure that makes a difference, there are lots of folks out there hesitant to have a 2-seater as their only car, even if they rarely have more than 2 people on board. 

dogisbadob > Mercedes Streeter 04/29/2019 at 15:05

3

The big sunroof doesn’t actually open, which sucks. The stupid transmissions. Killing off the cheaper non-electric version. Never selling the diesel version in the US. A shitty lo-power poor-mpg engine in it. And we never got the turbo Brabus, either.

Too bad the i Q/ Cygnet failed. Because it’s a MUCH better car than the smart!

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter 04/29/2019 at 15:11

5

Soooo, they took the corpse out back and shot it?

Mercedes Streeter > ranwhenparked 04/29/2019 at 15:20

0

Good point!

... there are lots of folks out there hesitant to have a 2-seater as their only car, even if they rarely have more than 2 people on board. 

And bizarrely, smart USA actively made fun of these people in their 2010 “Against Dumb” marketing campaign. *sigh*

Mercedes Streeter > dogisbadob 04/29/2019 at 15:26

2

The sad thing is that they fixed the transmissions in the third gens. But those better transmissions came far too late in the brand’s life. The new transmissions are definitely pretty lovely (especially the manual), and not just for a smart.

And definitely agreed, of all the various engines they had in production, they chose the most boring, least efficient engine. They had a diesel, a higher power turbo, a mild hybrid (start/stop), but nope...

There are a few reasons why the iQ failed. The two biggest reasons are popularity and price. The iQ was at least $2k more expensive than a Yaris, was smaller, and didn’t get better fuel economy. So essentially Toyota wanted you to pay more for less of a Yaris.

In that other problem, while smart built basically universally panned cars, they still managed to get themselves a sort of cult status. While the iQ was a better car in every way, Toyota failed to move the needle on making them interesting enough to challenge smart’s cult. At least, that’s what the global sales data shows.

boredalways > Mercedes Streeter 04/29/2019 at 15:46

0

“I accept condolences in the form of more smarts added to my collection. :D”

Best.Gigglesnort.Evar.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Mercedes Streeter 04/29/2019 at 16:20

2

Not to knock your love of these, but they’re also objectively crap. We almost never see them with more than 70k miles, and the ones that do get up there almost always need engines. The cylinders oval out, valves burn, etc etc etc. 3rd gens are a huge improvement, but now we’re seeing a ton of battery issues on the electrics.

As for the electric range, most of my clients get in the 40-60 miles range from full to 1/4 charge remaining. This is in normal city stop and go traffic, with hills, and using the heater or AC. Out here, you'll never get 100 miles. The hills won't let you. But heat and AC can use up to about 30% of the battery. So if you use preconditioning a commute of 20 miles each way should be easy enough without inciting range anxiety, that's year round in hot and cold temps.

Mercedes Streeter > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 04/29/2019 at 16:41

3

No worries, I know they’re objectively crap. It’s part of why I don’t drive my 450s as often. Can’t break if you don’t drive it! lol

Seriously though, when I became the owner of a 450 the first thing I was told is “you better get AAA, because you WILL need it one day”. I laughed at them...and not long after needed a tow because of the dumb clutch actuator.

We almost never see them with more than 70k miles, and the ones that do get up there almost always need engines. The cylinders oval out, valves burn, etc etc etc.

Can’t disagree there. My 451 has been quite lucky to not only survive catching itself on fire, but soldier on to 158k miles. Did you know that the coolant temperature light is programmed to come on only something like 15 degrees before the engine begins warping? And in almost all of the warped engine cases, the light didn’t come on until a few seconds before the engine seized, if it came on at all. Outstanding, smart, outstanding.

I also don’t disagree about the range issues either, hence why I said “optimal conditions”. I know a guy in SoCal who prides himself in getting absurd range by avoiding hills and not using the HVAC. It’s just weird to me that smart would intentionally make itself look worse. Usually when companies quote battery life they quote what the product can do under the best conditions.

Chariotoflove > Mercedes Streeter 04/29/2019 at 16:42

1

Withdrawal’s a bitch.

Instead of just another Smart car, get a Smarties Car.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > shop-teacher 04/29/2019 at 17:49

1

I prefer to think it was a Zombie they shot... like how they shoot the walkers in The Walking Dead.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/29/2019 at 17:50

1

But what would you say if you’re speaking esoterically?

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Mercedes Streeter 04/29/2019 at 18:21

0

There's a lot of Smart EDs out there, some for crazy low prices. It makes me wonder if prices will fall even further. I mean, for a little commuter car, how bad could it be?

not for canada - australian in disguise > Mercedes Streeter 04/29/2019 at 18:50

1

I’m honestly extremely surprised Smart ever even sold cars in North America at all (or even anywhere outside Europe and Asia). The cars are tailor made for tight, urban streets, and are pretty much pointless anywhere else. Which is a problem because outside of like a tiny bit of Quebec City, parts of Boston and Philly, and Manhattan, we don’t really have that sort of thing in North America. I suspect North American Smarts, especially the early pre-US Canadian market diesels, will become interesting oddballs in about 20 or 30 years.

ranwhenparked > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/29/2019 at 19:08

1

Heck, I street parked a Fleetwood in Philly for four years without a problem. Even our densest cities are still pretty car-friendly compared to Europe. Even in Manhattan, you can pretty much always find parking when you need it - as long as you're willing to pay. 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Mercedes Streeter 04/29/2019 at 22:36

0

Your experience with Tucker is seriously impressive.

Yeah, and I’ve seen globs of intake manifold plastic melting down the side of the engine after overheating too. Neat. But it also sucks for the owners.

Not using the HVAC isn't that tough with preconditioning. Just use seat heaters if it's cold because they're 12v and open windows if it's hot. Avoiding hills in SoCal seems difficult though.