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smart Announcement on Wednesday?

The NY Times is reporting (registration required) that an announcement from DaimlerChrysler that smart is headed to the USA will be made on Wednesday. Previous stories had pegged the announcement for today.

A story at The Car Connection is stating that although the fortwo costs about $17,000 to build, DaimlerChysler would aim lower and try to get "at least $12,000 to build volume and minimize losses." A starting price of around $12,000 would certainly be good news for the little two seater. The smart really has to sell on style and pedigree. Yes, the little car is a snap to park but what is going to set it apart is the fact that nothing else looks like it.

My idea would be to bring the fortwo to the USA and see how it does. If the model is a success I'd flesh out the line not only with derivatives such as a hybrid and crosstown but also by rebadging Mercedes A and B Class models as smarts. Why not? This would keep the C-Class as the entry model in Mercedes dealerships but add volume and traffic for whoever is going to sell smarts.