According to Doug Callahan, chairman of the Mercedes dealer council, Mercedes-Benz dealers urged DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche not to bring the Smart car to the United States. The dealers for fear that the car would hurt the Mercedes-Benz image brought the request forward.



Daimler Chrysler had declared plans for the launch of the car in US by 2008. Therefore, will this request change the course of the automaker’s plan? What in Smart can possibly hurt Mercedes-Benz’s image? I believe there isn’t any. Smart has passed all US Crash and Safety Standards with grades higher than most large SUVs; therefore, it is very safe.



Besides, haven’t we all been driven to the end by rising gas prices? Don’t the fuel-efficient Smart present at least a tiny minimal solution to this problem?



What is more surprising is the fact that Mercerdes-Benz dealers are more worried about their image then worrying about the harm cars contribute to the environment.



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