Deliveries begin
In the last two weeks there has already been the first feedback from readers who have had their smart #1 delivered. From April things really get going. It's about 2.000 vehicles with delivery dates from April and May which are already in Europe and will be delivered to the appropriate dealers these days. There they get the latest software installed, get prepared and delivered.
The next wave of vehicles will come in June. As is known from Tesla, vehicles at smart are also built and delivered in advance. Customers then configure their vehicles and get one from the stock. As smart Germany reports in a press release, demand is exceeding all expectations. That's why there can still be bottlenecks at the beginning, but production in China is constantly ramping up.
smart China is already delivering more than 20,000 smart #1
Only in China is the demand for the new smart #1 even greater than in Europe. smart has been delivering there since last September and can now announce a milestone. The brand has already made over 20,000 customers happy there with a smart #1. Based on this success, smart has already announced the next car. I reported extensively on the smart #3 here last week. A hatchback variant of the smart #1.
The Chinese figures are impressive, production must have broken records in the last month. With almost 6,000 vehicles delivered in March alone, they should hopefully soon be able to meet the great demand.
April Fools or more serious?
Of course, you always have to be a bit cautious when new information is announced on April 1st. This is of course also the case with a post from smart China on the Chinese social media. smart had already announced that this was a joke.
Nevertheless, I am amazed at how much time was put into the sketches and their presentation. Especially thoughts about a new infotainment, a solar roof and safety features are encouraging. Although all of this is somewhat reminiscent of the smart vision EQ fortwo study from 2017, it also coincides with the increasingly complex safety rules. Has smart tried out how customers would feel about a new smart fortwo? In any case, the Chinese community loved the scetches. Chinese smart #1 customers in particular seem to remember the history of smart fondly and are also open to a relaunch of the roadster and fortwo.
Whether that will happen remains to be seen. There will certainly be no fortwo before 2025.
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