Smart USA intends to introduce a larger four-door model of its Smart car late next year. Smart USA already sells the incredibly small Smart ForTwo in the US however they are now looking to increase their product line with the five-seat capacity model in conjunction with Nissan.
President of Smart USA, Jill Lajdziak said of the proposed new car, "The new vehicle will expand Smart USA's product lineup, offering five-seat capacity while maintaining the core principles of efficiency and conservation." The new model will be a hatchback with four doors, however other details, such as exact dimensions and technical details about the vehicle are as yet unknown; Smart USA has only released a sketch of the new car thus far.
Smart USA is owned by the Penske Automotive Group, which is a Fortune 500 company. They currently import and sell cars to the US which are made by Diamler however the Smart USA incursion into US car markets has been disappointing, and has been an overall money-loser for Diamler.
In 2010 sales have been running at 60 percent lower than in 2009, which augers bad for the company, as 2009 was one of the worst years on record for the sale of automobiles. With fuel economy of more than 40 miles to the gallon, the Smart USA cars sales were up in the start of their entry into the US market, but quickly slumped to the current depression.
Smart also sells ForTwo cars in Europe, which are so small that they can squeeze into a parking space designed for parallel parking nose-to-curb.
