Mercedes 2001 Annual Report Download - page 33

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Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars & smart 29
More than 116,000 smarts sold. The innovative smart
car concept, combining fun and great practicality with a
compact yet spacious and safe interior, was particularly
successful in 2001. Smart sold 116,200 city coupes
and convertibles (up 14%) in the year under review.
Increased demand within the smart brand occurred
mainly from sales of the smart cdi and smart convert-
ible, selling 27,700 and 23,300 units. The smart cdi
remains the best selling and best-priced “three-liter car”
(fuel consumption better than 67 miles per US gallon)
in Western Europe. Germany is its most important
market, with sales of 46,700 vehicles, followed by Italy
(30,000), and France (8,700). The successful introduc-
tion of the smart in the UK and Greece was followed by
its launch in Japan in the year under review. The smart
city coupe has been available as a right-hand-drive
vehicle since October 2001, and is also now offered as a
“kei car” version subject to a lower vehicle tax in Japan.
Upcoming new smart products. Following the presenta-
tions of the smart roadster and roadster coupe concept
vehicles in 1999 and 2000 respectively, additional fu-
ture model variants of the smart were presented at the
International Auto Show in Frankfurt. Among the high-
lights was the world premiere of the smart tridion4
show car. The car demonstrates the versatility of the
brand and shows that a model with four seats and five
doors can still be a true smart. We also introduced an
alternative drive concept known as the smart hyper.
It features both a diesel engine and an electric motor.
This combination allows noticeably lower fuel con-
sumption and emissions than a conventional drive
system.
Maybach: new luxury-car brand with tradition.
Supreme
individuality, stylish elegance and ultimate exclusive-
ness combined with maximum space and comfort –
these are the goals of the newly established Maybach
brand. Maybach is to be revitalized as an independent
top brand in the ultra-luxury segment. Product develop-
ment is running according to plan. The Maybach
factory will start operations in the fall of 2002, and will
use a flexible manufacturing system to produce up to
1,500 limousines a year.
Individually open – from the folding sliding roof to fully
convertible: The smart convertible & passion
represents a flexible, future-oriented mobility concept.
Mercedes-Benz
of which: A-Class
C-Class
of which: CLK
SLK
Sport Coupe
E-Class
S-Class/SL
M-Class
G-Class
smart
Mercedes-Benz
and smart worldwide
Europe
of which: Germany
Western Europe
(excluding Germany)
NAFTA
USA (retail sales)
South America
Asia/Australia (excluding Japan)
Japan (new registrations)
01:00
(in %)
1,000
Units
+6
-4
+30
-20
-19
.
-18
-2
-3
+53
+14
+6
+7
-1
+16
+4
+0
-20
+12
+13
1,114
191
507
65
42
59
201
107
102
6
116
1,230
854
436
402
229
207
16
58
55
*) Group figures, unless otherwise indicated,
(including leased vehicles)
Unit Sales 2001 *)
unique
smart:
driving experience and great practicality