Friday, February 29, 2008

Smart down south

My good friends in Dixie Linda and Bruce sent me a hard copy of this article about the smart launch in North Carolina. RLT

Sunday, February 17, 2008

M-B Canada can't stand up for falling down

To the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto to check out the new smart. I decide to consult the smart Canada website before departure - after all this is the first Autoshow for the new smart and the major event in the car calendar in Canada. Which of the three halls will the smart be in? There is no way of finding out about the location of the stand as there is no indication on the smart website that the show is happening at all. No email arrives to build interest.
Riding along the lakeshore we notice that M-B Canada are holding, as in years gone by, some sort of test-drive promotion opposite the exhibition grounds, which visibly includes the smart car. On the stand at the show there is no information about the promo! My dealer contact invites me to take a test drive at some unspecified time in Mississauga, when I could be driving the car right there and then on that very day. Why spend megabucks on a stand at the Autoshow and then fail to exploit the opportunity? What is the matter with this company? BTW full marks to Nissan for providing free parking at the show. RLT