German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz is relaunching the Smart car in the United States, where the two-seater has not had stellar volume. A national TV ad campaign this week promotes the Fortwo as the
answer for people "right-sizing" their lives and reducing their energy consumption.
"It's asking people to think about what they need," said Tracey Matura, general manager of Smart, part
of Daimler AG's Mercedes car division. The first ad, shown Monday on network TV, aims to build awareness. Auto analysts say the Smart car, starting at $12,490, has struggled in the U.S. market, but
not because people don't know about it.
"It's just too small," said Warren Browne, vice president of business development at AutomotiveCompass LLC. "It's too small for gas at $3.60 a
gallon. At $6 a gallon, there may be a different answer."
advertisement
advertisement
Read the whole story at The Detroit News »