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Micro Compact Car (MCC) - Smart -
The Smart car is one of the most challenging project at this time. Several innovations are brought together:
Presently smart is part of the Mercedes-Benz Car Group. In 2005 a restructuring of the smart unit took place, realigning the business model of smart. In 2005 unit sales of the smart brand totaled 124,300 vehicles in the year under review (2004: 152,100). As part of the restructuring program for smart that was announced in April 2005, DaimlerChrysler discontinued production of the smart roadster and development of the planned smart SUV. The workforce was reduced from 1,350 to 750 employees at smart headquarters, and there was a reduction of 125 employees at the Hambach plant. As a result of these measures, smart succeeded in reducing fixed costs by 26% in the year under review, thus achieving its goals for the year 2005. smart vehicles go USA: UnitedAuto Group selected as future exclusive distributor Beginning in 2008, the successor to the smart fortwo will be available in U.S. markets in three models. The U.S.A., as the world's largest automotive market, will be the 37th market for smart. The Parties have agreed on the framework for the exclusive distribution of smart vehicles by international automotive retailer UnitedAuto Group, Inc. (NYSE:UAG). UnitedAuto will be responsible for awarding potential dealers and developing and maintaining a smart vehicle dealership network throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. The initial rollout of retail outlets is expected to start in mid-2007, with the official launch of the smart brand planned to occur later that year. The smart vehicle is expected to be sold in the U.S. starting in early 2008. Jun 28, 2006 smart signs MoU on smart roadster license smart and the British consortium ‘Project Kimber’ signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Friday, 17 February 2006. The intention of the MoU is to draw up a contract within the next few months which would give Project Kimber the licence to redesign, produce and sell the former smart models roadster and roadster-coupé under a different brand. Additionally, the MoU includes the intention to purchase production equipment for both models that is not needed by smart anymore. Feb 20, 2006 The MCC smart GmbH was founded in April 1994 in Bienne in Switzerland as a joint venture between the then Mercedes-Benz AG, Stuttgart and Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Mikroelektronik und Uhrenindustrie AG (SMH), Bienne. Following the 100-percent takeover by the then Daimler-Benz AG in November 1998, the business activities were transferred from Bienne to Renningen in January 1999. Parallel to this the former Micro Compact Car AG was renamed Micro Compact Car smart GmbH. The extension of smartville, the smart production facility in Hambach in France, which was started in 2001, was continued in 2002: MCC smart will invest a total of around 80 million euro in this site by the end of the year, securing the jobs of around 2,000 employees (MCC France: 750, system partners: 1,250). The money invested in 2002 will mainly flow into the production of the new smart roadster, which will also be produced in smartville. Andreas Renschler says that "The performance of the employees in Hambach is rated extremely highly. We were able to greatly increase the number of possible variations without any friction. Parallel to this the productivity was again increased by almost seven percent to an average of 159 cars per year and employee."
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