Mercedes wrote history when it decided to creat a small car brand named Smart. The smallest car at that time proved to be popular and to win the hearts of the younger public. Now, Mercedes looks back and thanks itself for the winning decision.
There are two million Smart cars produced until now. Since its market launch in 1998, the urban microcar has enjoyed success as both a private vehicle and as a fleet vehicle and, since 2008, as a tailor-made vehicle for the car sharing scheme car2go.
At the end of 2015 smart became the world’s first car manufacturer to combine an online store for new cars with a virtual showroom: customers in Italy are able to explore the smart options around the clock at www.smartforstore.it and purchase their chosen vehicle online. And there are many other innovations Smart brought along the way.
"The fact that worldwide Smart sales have passed the two million mark shows the extent to which delighted customers around the world prefer our uniquely compact and unbelievably agile cars to any other car for city driving. Whether it’s fitted with a combustion engine or an electric motor, whether it’s a two-seater, a four-seater or a stunning cabrio – Smart brings drivers plenty of joy and saves them time. For our customers Smart is much more than ‘just’ a car," says Dr. Annette Winkler, head of Smart.
Smart now has a presence in 46 markets. In August 2016 the brand’s sales increased by 20.8% and customers took delivery of over 7,631 vehicles. Smart proved particularly popular in China last month, with sales of Smart models almost treble those in same month last year. China is the third biggest sales market for Smart after Germany and Italy.
