<VV> Re: No Corvair - Is the Smart Car smart enough to sell in NA?

[Western Canada CORSA]

The streets here in Victoria are lousy with Smart Cars, and I understand
there is a three month waiting list.

Of course at $3.70gal. USD they make even more sense up here.

Regards,
Joel

-----Original Message-----
From: virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org
[mailto:virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org]On Behalf Of Shaun
Sent: Sunday, October 09, 2005 3:32 PM
To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
Subject: Re: <VV> Re: No Corvair - Is the Smart Car smart enough to sell
in NA?


Smart cars are here in Vancouver and selling out at $18,000cdn a pop.
Shaun
----- Original Message -----
From: "Garth Stapon" <stapon1 at earthlink.com>
To: "Padgett" <pp2 at 6007.us>; <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 09, 2005 2:15 PM
Subject: <VV> Re: No Corvair - Is the Smart Car smart enough to sell in NA?


> Padgett:
>
> I just read an interview with the new chief at Daimler (Juergen Schremp
sp?) and he clearly stated that in view of recent fuel price increases they
are looking at importing Smart cars into NA.
>
> If this happens, it will be very interesting to see if NA drivers respond
with their pocket books.
>
> Regards, Garth
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Padgett <pp2 at 6007.us>
> Sent: Oct 9, 2005 11:28 AM
> To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
> Subject: <VV>GM cars and gas mileage- little Corvair
>
>
> >I bought an '04 Cavalier almost
> >2 years ago.  Since Katrina and the gas price jump, I've slowed down on
my
> >drive to work and am getting over 34 mpg for combined city and (mostly)
> >highway driving.  It is a LOT bigger car than the Aveo, which I might
have
> >considered had it been available (or I had known about it).  Can't
imagine
> >the Cobalt gets worse mileage.
>
> This is the size creep I was talking about. The original metro had a 3
> cyl  1.0 liter (61.5 cid) engine. Most wore out in 30,000 miles which is
> why they are not seen often. Like the Aveo, Pontiac had a Canada-only
> version called the Firefly.
> Later cars replaced the 3 cyl Suzuki with a 1.3 liter 4 cyl which I
believe
> was from Toyota. Today the smallest GM engine sold in the USA is the 1.6
> liter Daewoo in the Aveo. Today GM has *nothing* competitive in the
submini
> class. Even Saturns are now big.
>
> >  The automotive section of the local paper
> >wrote up the Aveo yesterday and gave it good marks.
>
> They know who pays for the ads.
>
> >In order to get all the bells & whistles, like CD player,  power locks &
> >windows, etc you have to
> >buy the high-end LT.
>
> And depreciation is based on the MSRP of the loss leader. While they bill
> the Aveo as $9995, by the time you get to the LT and even as a year old
> model that sat on a lot for 8 months, they want $14k "employee price"
which
> means a bunch of depreciation the minute you drive off the lot.  OTOH a
> 2006 Scion XA fully equipped  with 1.5 l engine that gets over 30 mpg both
> city and highway is less than a grand more if you know what to say and
> depreciates very little. What is wrong with this picture ?
>
> If Chrysler could bring the Smart Car in today, they would sell a ton. But
> they won't.
>
> Padgett
>
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