
In a decision that surprised exactly no one, Daimler has announced it is pulling the plug on its last Smart car still sold in North America. Ironically, the demise of the Smart EQ Fortwo comes just at the moment when demand in Canada could have received a boost in demand with the implementation of the federal government’s iZEV program.
Of course, the U.S. market is still the force that drives decision-making in the automotive industry. And in the case of Smart it was a no-brainer of a move for Daimler. In a market with eyes only (or almost) for pickups and SUVs, trying to sell a tiny, all-electric car was akin to spitting into the wind.
In 2017, the company had eliminated the gas-powered version of the car to focus on the electric edition.
"After much careful consideration, smart will discontinue its battery-electric smart EQ fortwo model in the US and Canadian markets at the conclusion of MY2019. A number of factors, including a declining micro-car market in the US and Canada, combined with high homologation costs for a low volume model are central to this decision."
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