Electric Smart Cars for China – but who is buying the Smart Car anyway?
According to The WallStreet Journal (subscription only), Smart are planning to launch an electric Smart fortwo model here in China:
BEIJING — Daimler AG plans to start a pilot program for an electric version of its Smart minicar in China next year, joining a growing list of firms evaluating the potential for next-generation clean-energy vehicles in the world’s biggest automobile market.
Daimler is currently considering which cities to test the cars in, said Ulrich Walker, chairman of Daimler Northeast Asia, in a year-end briefing with reporters. “We have to see the acceptance of this car,” he said.
The move follows an announcement by the central government last week that it will subsidize electric and hybrid car purchases
The gasoline version of the Smart fortwo was officially launched in China earlier this year, its not cheap, and CCT has only seen one of the new versions on the road to date (there are plenty of grey market imports and electric clones though). The imported Smart fortwo is hit hard by import taxes, which means it starts at 150,000rmb and rises to around 200,000rmb, an electric version is likely to cost more if it makes it to the market before a Chinese company produce their own version.
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“….before a Chinese company produce their own version.”
Hellloo…
Chinese-made Smart lookalikes are a dime a dozen. And the electric conversions are a no-brainer for the enterprising Chinese. True the quality, reliability and safety may not be there, but the typical Chinese buyer’s consciousness is still quite low, and so it will be a hard sell for Daimler.