Chrysler has delivered its 10,000th smart fortwo after only six months on the market. That's a fantastic start to the miniature car. Many of the early sales came (I'm assuming) from those who put down $99 to reserve theirs before the car was even released.
It's hard to know how to put that number in context, however. I only keep track of hybrid car sales, so... The Camry Hybrid, after it was released in April, 2006 sold 21,430 units in the first six months. The luxury hybrid GS 450h, also released in April 2006, sold 1,179 units in the first six months. The Toyota Highlander sold over 15 thousand units in its first six months, while Ford only sold 6,532 units of the Escape and Mariner Hybrids in the first six months. The Nissan Altima Hybrid, as a more recent arrival, sold under 4 thousand units in its first six months, but then the Altima Hybrid has limited sales in just eight states.
It's really hard to judge how good 10,000 sales is after six months. It's obviously not bad, but there was a lot of build up to the Smart release. So, a lot of those sales, as I've already noted, come from that early rush. Will Chrysler keep it up and sell 20,000 a year going forward is the real question.
"This is a landmark sales figure in a very short timeframe, demonstrating that increasing numbers of U.S. drivers are discovering all that the smart fortwo has to offer," said Dave Schembri, president of smart USA. "The smart fortwo has the opportunity to change the landscape of our highways by offering a powerful combination of fun-to-drive aspects, safety innovations and functionality – all with great fuel economy."
The smart fortwo went on sale in the United States in January 2008, and is available at 69 smart centers in 31 states.
It's hard to know how to put that number in context, however. I only keep track of hybrid car sales, so... The Camry Hybrid, after it was released in April, 2006 sold 21,430 units in the first six months. The luxury hybrid GS 450h, also released in April 2006, sold 1,179 units in the first six months. The Toyota Highlander sold over 15 thousand units in its first six months, while Ford only sold 6,532 units of the Escape and Mariner Hybrids in the first six months. The Nissan Altima Hybrid, as a more recent arrival, sold under 4 thousand units in its first six months, but then the Altima Hybrid has limited sales in just eight states.
It's really hard to judge how good 10,000 sales is after six months. It's obviously not bad, but there was a lot of build up to the Smart release. So, a lot of those sales, as I've already noted, come from that early rush. Will Chrysler keep it up and sell 20,000 a year going forward is the real question.
"This is a landmark sales figure in a very short timeframe, demonstrating that increasing numbers of U.S. drivers are discovering all that the smart fortwo has to offer," said Dave Schembri, president of smart USA. "The smart fortwo has the opportunity to change the landscape of our highways by offering a powerful combination of fun-to-drive aspects, safety innovations and functionality – all with great fuel economy."
The smart fortwo went on sale in the United States in January 2008, and is available at 69 smart centers in 31 states.
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