Smart in Talks to Revive Roadster

The Globe & Mail, Thursday, November 24, 2005
Reuters News Agency
DaimlerChrysler's Smart small car business is in advanced talks with six European companies interested in reviving Smart's cancelled roadster model, the Financial Times newspaper reported.
Smart pulled the plug in April on the two-seat roadster and cancelled a planned off-road model as part of its campaign to halt losses and break even by 2007.
Finding a partner for the roadster could generate some income for the business, the paper said.
The FT quoted spokesman Heinz Gottwick as saying the talks had reached a point where DaimlerChrysler would decide early next year on how to proceed.
He said Smart had been approached by "many, many" companies about licensing or buying the rights for the roadster.
One of the interested parties is the Project Kimber consortium that unsuccessfully bid for collapsed British car maker MG Rover, the paper said.