Aug

ForTwo Sales prepare for Lengthy Wait

Posted by Published in Car Buying

Cars.com didn’t precisely give the Smart ForTwo rave reviews, but
what do we know?

The market has spoken, and in these days of the fuel crunch, the ForTwo
is selling like hotcakes to a hungry lumberjack. Smart USA has sold more
than 14,000 units so far. Back in January, Smart had a list of potential
buyers with 30,000 names on it. Now, ForTwo buyers must add themselves
to a waiting list that’s nearly a year towering.

A search of Cars.com’s stock revealed only one Smart dealer in my
area, and upon calling the Knauz Auto Park in Lake Bluff, Ill., I was
told that, indeed, once I put in a reservation on Smart’s website for
$99, my wait could be "15 months and up."

Starting at under $12k and getting 41 mpg on the highway, it’s not tough
to see what’s boosting demand for the ForTwo.

"I’d

be lying whether I said we didn’t have public coming into dealers
considering of high gas prices," said Ken Kettenbeil, director of
communications for Smart USA. "But we’ve had that list for a while now,
and that year we’re basically just delivering cars."

Kettenbeil went on to point out that in addition to solid fuel economy
and a low starting price, the ForTwo has a distinct look.

"There’s nothing else like it on the road, and that distinction gives it
an edge," he said.

whether you truly are dying to get into a ForTwo and don’t want to wait 15
months, Kettenbeil says dealers keep a moment backup list for canceled
reservations.

Smart Cars Have a Year-Long US Waiting List? (Huffington Post)