New Smart Car To Be Launched In Canada

Anthony Fontanelle
October 8, 2007

Canadian auto buyers first had the chance to own a Smart car in 2004 when Mercedes-Benz decided to bring the small car to the Canadian auto market. Initially, Mercedes-Benz expected only to sell 600 Smart cars annually. The automaker though achieved much success with the Smart car in Canada. In three years’ time, the automaker has already sold 10,000 units of the small car. To further expand the presence of the Smart brand in the still growing Canadian auto market, Mercedes-Benz announced that they will offer a new Smart car for the 2008 model year.

The current Smart cars are popular among Canadian car buyers for their fuel efficiency. With the energy crisis being highlighted by environmentalists, Canadian consumers are slowly moving away from large vehicles. Although the current Smart car is a favorite for its fuel efficiency, there are still those who are not happy with the car's performance. The 2007 Smart car is equipped with a three-cylinder, 800 cc diesel engine which produces only 40 horsepower. The vehicle consumes only 3.8 liters for every 100 kilometers traveled.

Although Smart cars are gas misers, it is too slow for many. Consumer Reports tested the car and reported that the Smart car can reach speeds of 100 kilometers per hour from a standstill in 23 seconds. The car might not be designed to race around streets but consumers are still looking for better performance especially that it is made by Mercedes-Benz.

Thus, for the 2008 model year, Mercedes-Benz equipped Smart cars with a new powerplant. The Smart cars which will arrive in Canada by November will have a one-liter gasoline engine which produces 71 horsepower and 68 lb-ft of torque. This will make the vehicle much faster than its predecessor. The powerplant will be paired with a five-speed clutchless manual transmission.

With the upgraded powerplant, it can be expected that the new Smart car will have a faster acceleration compared to its predecessor. But it is interesting to see how Mercedes-Benz balanced performance and fuel efficiency. No figures from the automaker have yet been announced concerning the fuel efficiency of the new Smart car. With the automaker looking to sell more of these vehicles in Canada along with auto parts such as the fuel pump Canada, more Canadian auto buyers will be driving more fuel efficient vehicles in the near future.

The success of the Smart car in Canada is seen as a key to the car being introduced in the United States. The Smart brand will make its debut in the United States auto market in spring next year. For Canadian auto buyers, the Smart car will be available in two variants - the base and the deluxe model. The sporty Pulse variant will be dropped for the 2008 model year.

Consumers can pre-order Smart vehicles on select dealerships. It is expected that the new Smart car will be priced lower than the current generation Smart vehicles. This is due to the stronger Canadian dollar which had many automakers lowering the price of their offerings in the Canadian auto market.

Source:  Amazines.com