E-Class and the GLE were the two 3-pointed star standouts. Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – June 1, 2017 2017 smart fortwo - $24,550 to start incl. the $750 D&H charge offers 70+ miles of All-Electric Range (AER). Is it enough with today's 120 to 238 AER offerings? The smart electric drive coupe will start at - $24,550 as shown directly above with the cabrio variant at $28,750 incl. the $750 D&H Charge. Remember that the smart Electric qualifies for the full $7,500 Fed Tax Credit and many states with a $2,500 state incentive + HOV Lane access. Is $14,550 low enough to get you into a smart Electric? The all-new 2017 smart electric will be $1,200 less expensive than the current model, with improved slightly range, more power, more space and additional standard features For 2017, the smart electric drive features a more powerful electric motor, a higher top speed and faster AC charging with a higher power onboard charger. Additional standard features include Cruise Control and battery warranty. Like the current model, the 2017 model will be available in pure, passion and prime trims (pure n/a on cabrio). New is the value-added packages and options, including an exclusive Electric Green tridion cell color and optionally available Climate Package, which includes heated seats, a heated steering wheel and provides additional insulation for improved climate control. All models have a new, powerful 7 kW on-board charger as a standard feature. In the U.S., charging time is an estimated 2.5 hours – about twice as fast as the predecessor (0-80% charge on 240V Level2 charger. An 80 hp and 118 lb-ft of torque (up 23 percent) electric motor at the rear of the smart electric provides propulsion. Range has been increased from 68 to 70+ miles of AER. The open-top two-seater cabrio - At the touch of a button the smart electric cabrio is transformed from a closed two-seater into a convertible with its canvas sunroof. The smart fortwo Electric is due at smart U.S. dealerships this summer. Base Specs - Previous Gen/New Gen MSRP $25,000 (coupe) and $23,800 (coupe)/$28,000 (cabrio)/$28,000 (cabrio) -- Not incl. $750 D&H charge. Battery: 93 cell/96 cell Battery cap: 17.6 kWh for both Motor: liquid-cooled permanent- magnet synchronous/air-cooled 3-phase synchronous On-board Charger: 3.3 kW/7 kW Range in miles (approx.): 68/70-80 Charging time – Level2 0-80% = 4.5 hours/2.5 hours 0-100% = 6 hours/3 hours Motor Output: 74 hp and 96 lb-ft/80 hp and 118 lb-ft Acceleration 0-60 mph (sec): 11.5 (cabrio: 11.5)/11.4 (cabrio: 11.7) Top speed (mph): 78/81 Mercedes-Benz May 2017 Sales Overview The Mercedes Group including Mercedes=Benz, Sprinter, and smart achieved May sales of 30,290 was down 7.0 percent below the 32,567 sold in May of 2016. On a Daily Selling Rate (DSR) basis, sales were off 10.7 percent. YTD sales of 147,415 are off 1.2 percent below the 149,167 sold through the same period of 2016. Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) on its own achieved May sales of 26,893 vehicles, down 8.2% from the 29,299 vehicles sold in May of 2016. YTD, sales of 132,966 were down 1.0 percent from the 134,304 sold through the same period of 2016. Mercedes-Benz volume leaders in May once again included the C-Class, GLE and E-Class. The E-Class/CLS achieved May sales of 4,068 vehicles, up 10.0 percent over the 3,699 sold through the same period of 2016. YTD sales of 20,443 are up 12.5 percent over the 18,166 sold through the same period of 2016. The U.S. Automobile May 2017 vs. May 2016 Market Share results. To begin, Ford outselling GM in May and gaining 0.5 percent market share was the big news. Both Hyundai and FCA lost .6 percent market share. The Accord broke back into the Top 10 last month and this month moved to number 5. I have not looked up incentive addons but there appears to be a hard push to move Accords at Honda dealerships nationwide. Not a bad car to be pushing either. Segment Items of note Despite the large incentives, both the aging Focus and new Cruze outsold the new Elantra. Sonata sales are slumping. The Tucson at 10,600 units in May is closing in on making Sonata the number 3 seller in the flying H lineup. Something that has never occurred before. CUVs are still hot. In the pickup truck segment, for the second month in a row Ford’s F-Series has outsold the entire GM pickup truck lineup, RAM outsold the Silverado for the third month in a row and Nissan's Titan appears to be leveling off near the 5k mark with Ridgeline hovering around 3k/month. When it comes to Hybrids, the Prius lineup is beginning to feel competitor’s offerings with the Kia Niro and Hyundai Ioniq together taking 4,487 sales that may have went to the Prius or possibly the hot selling RAV4 Hybrid previously. Kia’s Niro achieved sales of 2,660 and its monthly sales volume for the first time since its intro has fallen below the prior months result. Prius c is way off the mark and if there was ever a time to see a second gen, now is that time. In the Electric segment, Toyota's Prius Prime for the second month outsold the Volt while the Bolt picked up quite a bit from last month’s sub 1k/mo sales result. U.S. May 2017 Sales vs. May 2016 Sales Ranks and Results for the top 18 Automobile Manufacturers Ford May 2017 Sales Up 2.2% with 241,126 Vehicles sold GM May 2017 Sales Down 1.3% with 237,364 Vehicles sold Toyota May 2017 Sales Down 0.5% with 218,248 Vehicles sold FCA May 2017 Sales Down 0.8% with 193,040 Vehicles sold Honda May 2017 Sales Up 0.9% with 148,414 Vehicles sold Nissan May 2017 Sales Up 3.0% with 137,471 Vehicles sold Hyundai May 2017 Sales Down 15.5% with 60,011 Vehicles sold Kia May 2017 Sales Down 7.0% with 58,507 Vehicles sold Subaru May 2017 Sales Up 12.1% with 56,135 Vehicles sold Mercedes-Benz May 2017 Sales Down 7.0% with 30,290 Vehicles sold VW May 2017 Sales Up 4.3% with 30,014 Vehicles sold BMW May 2017 Sales Down 11.1% with 29,878 Vehicles sold Mazda May 2017 Sales Down 7.9% with 26,047 Vehicles sold Audi May 2017 Sales Up 2.5% with 19,197 Vehicles sold Jaguar/Land Rover May 2017 Sales Up 13.9% with 8,106 Vehicles sold Mitsubishi May 2017 Sales Up 13.9% with 9,429 Vehicles sold Volvo May 2017 Sales Up 12.0% with 6,202 Vehicles sold Porsche May 2017 Sales Up 2.2% with 5,529 Vehicles sold In May, Ford moved ahead of GM as the number one U.S. Auto Manufacturer. This is a May anomaly but one we will be watching going forward. Mitsubishi moved ahead of Jaguar/Land Rover for the 15th spot. On a volume basis, May 2017 U.S. auto sales were up 4.1 percent. On a Daily Selling Rate (DSR) basis, May sales were up 0.05 percent. 2017 YTD sales of 6.97 million vehicles is down 1.6 percent from the 7.08 million sold through the same period and same number of sales days in 2016. There were 25 selling days in May of 2017 vs. 24 in May of 2016 and 125 days in both 2017 and 2016 as described numerous times above.
Based off of the $/kwh numbers we've seen from GM, .. I'd say the 2017 smart for two 17.6 kwh coupe should MSRP at no more than $15,000. (pretty much the same as the base gas version).
Hi Carcus: I completely agree. MB is trying to collect the entire Fed and State incentives. Given the 70+ mile AER, it will not sell very well. Wayne
Hi Bill: Good point. With the Ioniq Electric starting at $29,500 + $835 D&H, pricing of the fortwo electric does not make much sense to me either. Not even considering the 70+ to 124 mile AER difference. Wayne
The ioniq EV 'should' MSRP for about $21k. Assuming Adam Smith's 'invisible hand' has not yet been completely amputated, .. I think BEV city cars could achieve significant market penetration, even with today's gas prices.
Hi Carcus: Probably a bit more than that but not much. And the Bolt? A stretched B-Segment ... 2018 Sonic + $10k? Wayne
Hi Wayne, More or less .... my guess for the LT Bolt would be about $27,000. So still too much for the US market considering gas prices and charging infrastructure (and still marginal highway range).. But in Europe, with $4-$5-$6 gas prices, .. that would be a different story. /google up "LG chem battery factory" and you'll see a slew of information on new/increased production. It looks to me like 'it' is about to happen. //Hyundai Motor Company Increases Production Capacity of IONIQ Electric by 50% http://english.etnews.com/20170607200001
Maybe the Bolt would be perfect for European urban markets , but are those people "excited" about buying a bowtie ? I won't really NEED a car for a long time , but I'm pretty sure it will be a BEV. Made by who ? I have no guess at this time.
GM's quoted per kWh price for the LG batteries is tied too them also buying the entire BEV drive train, plus other bits, from LG. It isn't a straight up battery cost figure.
