Smart plans electric car by 2010

Smart, the German company that sells those cute little microcars, which already get 36 miles per gallon, plans to bring an electric car to market in 2010, Dave Schembri, the president of Smart USA, based in Bloomfield Hills, told the Free Press Sunday at the Detroit auto show.
Delivery of the all-electric cars, which are already being tested in a London fleet, is slated for the second half of 2010, and volume will be limited, Schembri, a native Detroiter, said. But production of the vehicles, which will use lithium-ion batteries, will begin in earnest by 2012. Information about the mileage range a Smart could travel on a full charge was not yet available.
Smart vehicles, which are built in France through the Smart subsidiary of Daimler AG, are distributed exclusively in the United States through Penske Automotive Group, which is chaired by racing legend and Detroit booster Roger Penske.
Penske told the Free Press that Smart were doing great, despite the sour economy.
Americans bought nearly 25,000 Smart Fortwos last year, and December sales were up 24% in December, compared to November. Smart vehicles were not sold in the U.S. in December 2007. Because of the success of the cars, Smart plans to add as many as four new dealerships this year to its existing network of 74 retail outlets.
“We have a lot of momentum headed into the new year,” Schembri said.
While the electrification of the U.S. automotive industry might seem to steal some of the wind below Smart’s wings -- by offering fuel-free alternatives that beat tiny, highly efficient gasoline models -- Schembri said Smart microcars will still have a unique selling position based on energy efficiency and value.
Smart cars start at $11,990, and he said the vast majority of Americans use their vehicle to commute one person back and forth from work. Driving a bigger vehicle than is needed, even if it runs on electricity, is still wasting energy, he said, and Americans are beginning to think about energy use in more progressive ways.
“I think our product is unique enough that it will offer a clear difference,” Schembri said.