Mercedes-Benz has decided to pull the plug on the Smart brand in the United States, which will cease being sold after the 2019 model year.
Mercedes had already announced its intention to have Smart sell only electric vehicles by 2020, but now we know that plan does not include the United States or Canada. A joint venture with Zhejiang Geely Holding Group will help to transform the Smart brand into a small EV producer in China.
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“A number of factors, including a declining micro-car market in the U.S. and Canada, combined with high homologation costs for a low-volume model are central to this decision,” said spokesman Rob Moran in a statement.
Mercedes will sell electric vehicles in North America under its new EQ brand, with the new EQC crossover ready to hit the streets in 2020.
The Smart car was first introduced in the US back in 2008.
[Source: TechCrunch]
