“After last year’s success, which saw Mercedes-Benz China achieve a volume increase of 53 percent, the new GLK will inject additional momentum here and in other markets,” said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.
Famous the world over for her movie success, actress Zhang Ziyi is a superstar of the Chinese movie scene and guest of honor at the GLK world premiere. Her big international break came with her role in Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”. “I love this powerful, great looking all-rounder,” said Zhang Ziyi about the new GLK in conversation with Dr. Dieter Zetsche.
(Click on the thumbnails below to enjoy a gallery of live GLK images or on the jump to read more.)
Smart’s Fortwo minicar received top marks in a U.S. government side-impact crash test, despite the car’s driver-side door opening during the simulation.
The Fortwo scored five out of five stars for side impact crashes, while earning four stars for drivers and three starts for passengers during head-on impacts. While the problem of the opening door wasn’t enough to mar the perfect rating for Smart, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration did note, “A door opening during a side impact crash increases the likelihood of occupant ejection.”
Smart has been selling the Fortwo about as fast as they can bring them into the country, with the American public seeming more and more receptive to small, fuel efficient vehicles. Roger Penske of the Penske Automotive Group recently said that he could sell as many as 15,000 more units than the 25,000 Fortwos he has been allocated for this year.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
While Scion’s attempts to reach the youth market of America haven’t always been completely successful, the company is making moves to branch out into even edgier attempts.
The Toyota brand has brokered a deal that will see it plugged by the second-year animated show Assy McGee. The titular character appears on the show as a pair of talking buttocks, in a cartoon send-up of numerous police dramas from television and film. Scion is hoping that the show, which appears during Cartoon Network’s popular Adult Swim programming, will help to rekindle interest in the brand’s newest products.
The Scion spot will appear as a mock commercial within the actual show, and is said to feature Assy as a bargain-promising Scion xB salesman…er salesass.
Scion has worked with Adult Swim before, finding a measure of success pitching its tC coupe during the Frisky Dingo show.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Roger Penske is sure that he can sell even more than the 25,000 Smart ForTwo’s he’s been promised for 2008, to an American public that’s becoming increasingly receptive to the diminutive two-seater. The CEO of Penske Automotive Group (which imports the Smart from Europe) believes that he could move as many as 15,000 more units if Mercedes-Benz were able to deliver them.
While the Smart factory is already said to be turning out the minicars as fast as it can, Penske is still hopeful that he may hear back from Mercedes regarding increased production for the U.S.
Meanwhile, the Smart sales machine in this country is steadily making progress, with 67 dealers of the 74 planned open and operating in the first quarter. The strong dealership presence, along with Smart’s policy of asking a mere $99 as a deposit on the ForTwo, has led to backlog of orders for the new car.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
We all know that you’re not bombing down the freeway with great speed or acceleration in Daimler’s Smart ForTwo, but Peter Valdes-Dapena at CNN Money says it’s not the car that’ll slow you down. It’s the gawkers.
He said, “The problem is that every time you take it out, a mass of people appears with a lot of questions. Or they’ll just stand in front of it to take their pictures.”
His experience with the tiny-car was less than desirable. And he says highway driving is the worst. He said, “Other drivers will drive up next to you and gawk at your little car. So you’ll slow down. Then they’ll slow down. Then you’ll speed up. And they’ll speed up. You’ll wave your arm to tell them to slow down or speed up so you can get over before you miss your exit. They’ll smile and wave back.”
How many vehicles can be filled with fuel for less than $20 per tank these days? Well, we know of at least one that fits this description. Click through to read about WINDING ROAD’S experience with the 2006 Smart ForTwo Brabus CDI.
Standing in stark contrast to other automakers who use anything form Super Bowl ads, to cattle drives in attempts to market their products, Smart believes that word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool. At least for right now.
Smart USA president Dave Shembri, in a presentation at the Automotive News World Congress, told listeners “Consumer advocacy is most important right now.” Going on to mention that people, “love to discover new things and tell people about it.”
(Click on the thumbnails below to look at what Smart hopes people are talking about, the ForTwo, or on the jump to read on.)
Smart Car USA opened its first dealership – and corporate headquarters – yesterday in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. The dealership is one of 68 dealerships nationwide set to open by the end of February.
The dealerships will be clad in black, yellow and white and besides selling three Smart forTwo models, the dealerships will come stacked with Smart Car merchandise.
Smart Car USA hopes to have 74 stores in total across 31 states – the remaining six are to be opened by the end of 2008.
And, to mark the occasion Smart Car USA is taking reservations. And, with reservations at $99 Smart Car is looking to move the Smart forTwo, fast.
(See the press release for locations after the jump)
It is a good sign that more than 1400 dealers from across the U.S. submitted requests for a Smart franchise following the announcement in June 2006 by then DaimlerChrysler and Penske Automotive Group that the Smart ForTwo would be arriving here. That 1400 was immediately cut to 1100 serious proposals, and today we stand at seventy-four dealerships across the U.S., all to become fully operational by the end of 2008. The first new ForTwos should roll onto the streets here in January.
With roughly 30,000 reservations on the books and over 8,000 confirmed orders, Smart USA is looking at considerably more than a warm reception for its first year on sale in the U.S. Now Smart is looking to turn that warm reception up to boil, with the introduction of a hybrid version of the micro car within two years.
(Click through the jump to read on about the pending U.S. launch of the Fortwo hybrid.)
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