ZAP (Sebastopol, CA) unveiled its Smart car coupes, the ForTwo and ForMore, which get 60 mpg out of a three-cylinder, rear-mounted engine. Manufactured by a division of DaimlerChrysler, and already sold in over 30 countries to date, the vehicles will make their way into the United States through two distribution channels - the deal ZAP has to sell the coupes, and another program that will be run through Mercedes-Benz dealerships.
Approximately 80 Merecedes dealers will sell Smart vehicles, but the company plans to import only the small SUV, known as the ForMore, in the beginning. Projected sales are 30,000 units annually; prices for the ForMore have not been announced. ZAP has rights to sell 4,000 of the Smart coupes, known as the ForTwo, in the US through 2004, and hopes to sell as many as 15,000 annually going forward.
The ForTwo will retail for between $12,000 and $20,000. At a little over 8 ft long, the vehicle weighs 1,588 lbs and has an 8.7 gal gas tank, giving it a driving range of 522 miles. The company is currently signing up dealers to handle retail sales.
