A trend by established small to medium area repair specialists (smart) to move away from mobile repairs into fixed location volume business has opened up a new niche for bodyshops.
Smart has unveiled a limited edition version of its Roadster-Coupe.
Smart is launching two new trim levels to its Forfour line-up.
Smart has announced that its new Brabus edition Forfour will go on sale in June, priced at £17,195 on-the-road.
DaimlerChrysler has announced that it will cut approximately 600 jobs at its Smart brand between July 1 and the end of the year, but will attempt to avoid any forced layoffs.
Inchcape has acquired Robert Smith Group’s bodyshop in Chester as part of the £18.1m deal which included Mercedes-Benz car showrooms in Liverpool, Warrington, Chester, Southport, West Kirby and Llandudno, plus a Smart dealership in Liverpool
Cheshire Fire Service has taken delivery of 20 Smart Fortwos as part of a four year campaign to promote fire prevention.
DaimlerChrysler has recorded an operating profit of €628m (£425.2m) in the first quarter of 2005, compared with €1,546m (£1,046m) last year.
Tough decisions from DaimlerChrysler have seen the slashing of two models from its Smart range plus the global recall of 1.3m Mercedes-Benz cars with electronic problems.
Smart has announced that ‘significant workforce reductions’ will be part of its new business model as well as the end of the Roadster and plans for an SUV.
Smart has unveiled two new style concepts for its ForFour at the Geneva Motor Show.
The head of Mercedes Car Group, Eckhard Cordes, has described the Smart brand as a ‘disaster’ – but still insists it has a future.
The issue of whether carmakers can specify servicing techniques is under investigation following a complaint from a Smart owner who was told non-franchised work would invalidate the vehicle’s warranty.
Mercedes-Benz retailers will invest in standalone Smart showrooms within two years as more models are launched and sales volumes build up.
AM 100 No 26 group Dutton-Forshaw has agreed to acquire Whitehouse Group’s Kent-based Mercedes-Benz and Smart operations for an undisclosed sum.
UK sales of new Smarts topped 10,000 for the year last month, but setting a new record was possible only through pre-registering, say dealers. In 2003, Smart sold 9,744.
Individuality is what the Brabus Smart FourTwo is all about – from its leather seats, spoilers, side skirts and wide 16in alloys to its tuned 74bhp three-cylinder turbo engine.
DaimlerChrysler has denied rumours that it may drop its Smart range despite the quirky city car brand failing to make a profit since the 1998 launch.
Smart is launching two new special editions, the Fortwo Nightrun and the Fortwo Truestyle.
The future of Smart is not at risk, insists parent DaimlerChrysler, despite the small car brand failing to make a profit since its launch in 1998.
