As gas prices continue to surge and talks of being more eco-friendly heat up, the idea of having a compact fuel-efficient car in the U.S. does not seem to be such a bad idea.
Starting in the United States as an exhibit in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Smart Car fortwos officially launched on the market in January 2008.
However, after being so popular in Europe for over a decade, how will the demand there compare to the demand here?
This is the question that juniors, Adam Blattner and Caroline Reuschel answered for their International Marketing class.
“It’s a compact car, that is environmentally efficient and brand new to the U.S market as of 2008,” Blattner said.
Currently, the Smart Car fortwo is the only one available in the U.S. and talks of bringing the hybrid and electric models are immanent.
The fortwos has a fuel consumption of 40 mpg in the city and 45 mpg on the highway according to the 2007 EPA standards, it’s a hit for the rapidly approaching $4 a gallon of gas mark.
Having a top speed of 90 mph and 0-60 in 12.8 seconds, it’s not bad for the thrill seeker either.
Blattner and Reuschel originally had planned that they wanted their class to experience a test drive by either a video or actually bringing the real thing.
For their presentation they were able to bring the real car in and it was parked in front of Sykes College of Business anxiously waiting for the class to come look.
Blattner said that when they drove on campus and they started setting up, people immediately started flocking to it and answering questions.
When the class finally came out, they were given a brief presentation. All of the students had received a key and the winner was the professor, Dr. Gary Simon.
Dr. Simon and Reuschel hopped in and took it for a ride around the block.
“We got a lot insight on how the car came about, what the benefits were and learned about their so called discovery marketing technique,” said Blattner.
Reuschel commented that Smart Car hasn’t had to market their product that much. Anybody who wants to purchase one has to put his or her name on an 18 month waiting list. The Smart Car fortwo has truly revolutionized the future of International Marketing.
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