|
|
Article: DaimlerChrysler.(marketing problems of DaimlerChrysler's Smart car)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- September 16, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Smarting
THE London Underground is a strange place to sell cars. But in October, DaimlerChrysler's Smart car will give it a try, opening its first official showroom in Britain, just inside Green Park station in London's Mayfair district. If any car can be sold in such cramped quarters, it is the Smart. At only 2.5 metres, it is little more than half the length of a Volkswagen Beetle. Owners have been known to park Smarts at right angles to the kerb, like a motorcycle, rather than parallel.
The location is also fitting. Above the new Smart showroom sits a dealership selling Mercedes-Benz, DaimlerChrysler's most prestigious brand. Smart began in 1994 as a ...