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Smart, the Daimler brand responsible for those little city cars you see all over the place in European cities, but rarely in American suburbs, has been on an interesting ride in recent years. A couple of years ago, the Smart went electric-only in the U.S. and
, where small car sales are waning and
sales have yet to take off — though it continues to sell internal combustion versions in other markets. Most recently, we heard
of the brand before Daimler confirmed that
Smart would live on through a joint venture with Geely
, and that the next generation will be built in China. Now, as
, Daimler plans to stop selling the smart brand in the U.S. and Canada after the 2019 model year.
Autoblog
has reached out to Daimler for confirmation, and will update this story when we hear back.
According to
, a spokesperson told the outlet, “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.”
The report states that Daimler will continue to support current Smart owners in the U.S. and Canada for both gas and electric markets through their Mercedes-Benz
, which will provide service and parts.
According to sales tracking site
, sales of the Smart Fortwo in the U.S. have dropped from 6,211 units in 2016 to 1,154 units in 2018. It reports just 231 sales in the first quarter of 2019.
It’s unlikely
the Smart lineup here in the U.S., where the roads are dominated by pickups and
. The people who want one probably already have one. We’ll shed one small tear, though, for the future turning-circle enthusiasts who will never know what a 22.8-foot radius feels like. And Daimler won’t be completely without all-electric vehicles on our shores, as
will launch a new family of EVs here with the EQC in 2020, followed by other electrics that people are more likely to buy.
from Autoblog http://bit.ly/2ZGEGDK