Smart records 500,000th sale of second-generation Fortwo Options

[smart142]

By Drew Johnson

Monday, Oct 3rd, 2011

Although it hasn’t been a smash success here in the United States, Smart’s second-generation Fortwo city car has just crossed a major milestone, selling its 500,000th example worldwide.

Smart’s second-generation Fortwo launched a little over four years ago, with the city car still proving popular around the world. So far this year 69,073 units of the Fortwo have been sold, representing a 6.6 percent improvement over the same period last year.

“Our Smart has long since evolved into an icon, which is indispensable in the cities of the world,” Dr. Annette Winkler, head of Smart, said of the achievement.

Smart is expecting continued growth in the coming years thanks to two new products. Smart will launch an electric versions of its Fortwo city car during the spring of 2012 with an electric ebike to follow sometime during the second quarter of 2012.
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[Mike T]

The 451 won't hit the 770,256 figure of the 450, so it seems.

[brd]

The 451 won't hit the 770,256 figure of the 450, so it seems.

The 450 [1998-2007] was in production for a lot longer than the 451 will have been [2007-2012], so that's not a suprise. I realize that Daimler was expecting far greater sales of the 451 than it achieved, but in the middle of its life the western world experienced its deepest recession since the so-called great depression.
If we assume that the 451 stayed in production four more years like the 450 and sold only 69,000 units per year [the September 2011 ytd amount], that would be 776,000 units in nine years of production; and that's a low ball estimate.

[Mike T]

For sure. Had it been given a full 7 year run like the 450, it probably would equal if not slightly better the 450.

[bilgladstone]

How many MkVII were sold? Build year 2004-2007

[Mike T]

The "new line" (post 2002) was maxxed out at 324,469 units.