Smart In Usa
09-09-2003, 12:08 AM
#1
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2002 Smart Passion
Smart In Usa
Dear Customer,
R-Sport International has now received our first Smart Car here in Portland, Oregon; a blue 2002 Smart Passion. We are now able to import these cars as we were told by customs at the local port of entry that the Smart Car is legal for importation, by us as a Small Car Manufacturer. Insurance can be purchased through specialty providers. Some sates are allowing the cars to be licensed others are not.
We plan to start emissions testing in January 2004, on our Passion. We are working with DAT conversions to legally import these cars, for use on public roads. At this time we can import and sell the Smart car but it is up to the buyer to register and insure the vehicle.
Documented Smart Cars in USA:
2 in UT, plated by no insurance
1 in CO, insured by not plated
1 in CA, no plates no insurance
1 in OH, no plates no insurance
1 in FL, with a mechanics lien
1 next week in TX,
1 maybe in MA
1 in KY plated and insured
1 in Oregon, insured and plated
1 in NY plated and insured
We did not import these cars except our Oregon passion.
Jamie MacMenemy
R-Sport International
www.r-sport.net
R-Sport International has now received our first Smart Car here in Portland, Oregon; a blue 2002 Smart Passion. We are now able to import these cars as we were told by customs at the local port of entry that the Smart Car is legal for importation, by us as a Small Car Manufacturer. Insurance can be purchased through specialty providers. Some sates are allowing the cars to be licensed others are not.
We plan to start emissions testing in January 2004, on our Passion. We are working with DAT conversions to legally import these cars, for use on public roads. At this time we can import and sell the Smart car but it is up to the buyer to register and insure the vehicle.
Documented Smart Cars in USA:
2 in UT, plated by no insurance
1 in CO, insured by not plated
1 in CA, no plates no insurance
1 in OH, no plates no insurance
1 in FL, with a mechanics lien
1 next week in TX,
1 maybe in MA
1 in KY plated and insured
1 in Oregon, insured and plated
1 in NY plated and insured
We did not import these cars except our Oregon passion.
Jamie MacMenemy
R-Sport International
www.r-sport.net
09-10-2003, 10:24 PM
#3
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Location: Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
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2005 smart cabrio; 2008 Mercedes-Benz B 200
Does smart GmbH know?
R-Sport, You may know that manufacturers don't take kindly to their cars being converted by third parties for sale in countries within which they themselves have marketing ambitions. So if you don't have the permission of smart GmbH for your importation/conversion activity, I imagine they'll be less than pleased to learn about it.
One possible way around this issue is for you to sell the converted car as something else, with the agreement of the actual manufacturer. This was done by CX Auto when they were importing and then converting Citroën CX and XM cars back in the eighties and nineties to US standards. All Citroën badges were removed from the car, which was part of the compromise they had to make with PSA in France in order not to get their asses sued off. I saw the latter happen in 1983, when an upstart Citroën importer in Vancouver BC called MArcel Paré was stomped on by PSA - he was out of business so fast his head is probably still spinning
Also, from CX Auto, an XM V6 Automatic ended up consting nearly $80,000 US ten years ago, about three times the cost in Europe. I'd say that logistics and economics are not in your favour ;-)
As for your present activities, I'm not sure how responsible it is to import non-conforming smarts and then leave your customers to fend for themselves with the licensing/regulatory authorities.
Mercedes-Benz Canada will begin importing smart cdi city-coupés and cabriolets that meed Canadian specifications in 2004. My advice to any US wannabe smart owner is to wait until this happens and then see about importing a Canadian market car to the USA. Canadian and US safety and emission standards are very similar....
One possible way around this issue is for you to sell the converted car as something else, with the agreement of the actual manufacturer. This was done by CX Auto when they were importing and then converting Citroën CX and XM cars back in the eighties and nineties to US standards. All Citroën badges were removed from the car, which was part of the compromise they had to make with PSA in France in order not to get their asses sued off. I saw the latter happen in 1983, when an upstart Citroën importer in Vancouver BC called MArcel Paré was stomped on by PSA - he was out of business so fast his head is probably still spinning
Also, from CX Auto, an XM V6 Automatic ended up consting nearly $80,000 US ten years ago, about three times the cost in Europe. I'd say that logistics and economics are not in your favour ;-)As for your present activities, I'm not sure how responsible it is to import non-conforming smarts and then leave your customers to fend for themselves with the licensing/regulatory authorities.
Mercedes-Benz Canada will begin importing smart cdi city-coupés and cabriolets that meed Canadian specifications in 2004. My advice to any US wannabe smart owner is to wait until this happens and then see about importing a Canadian market car to the USA. Canadian and US safety and emission standards are very similar....
09-12-2003, 10:04 AM
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2005 smart cabrio; 2008 Mercedes-Benz B 200
R Sport
I don't know anything about this Portland company called R Sport, plus I would not do business with them under the current situation they describe above. If you need a smart THAT badly, why not buy one for export from Germany and import it "for exhibition purposes" only? It'd probably cost half as much.
Check with US Customs first though. I wouldn't do it. How frustrating would that be, to have an unlicensed smart in your driveway and not be able to drive it on the road?
Check with US Customs first though. I wouldn't do it. How frustrating would that be, to have an unlicensed smart in your driveway and not be able to drive it on the road?
