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1,488 views Nov 15, 2006

DCX drops development costs for new Fortwo

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DaimlerChrysler has reportedly improved its manufacturing process for the new two-seater Smart Fortwo, which sees the new version costing much less to produce then its predecessor. Reuters is reporting that the designers were able to save money by reducing material costs, which are now 12% lower than those used on the previous model. Further, the new Fortwo can also be built five times faster than the original model at its plant in France.

This is a significant step in the right direction for the money losing Smart brand, a move that couldn’t come soon enough. DaimlerChrysler managed to move 750,000 units of the first generation Smart ForTwo, but sales have still fallen 20.6 percent in the first 10 months of this year. We’re confident that the new model plus the recent job cuts and reduced model lineup will see a much better result for the Smart brand in the near future.