At a traditional luncheon with prominent speakers hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, Daimler Chairman Dr. Dieter Zetsche today presented the Smart fortwo to representatives of U.S. businesses and government as an environmentally friendly solution for future mobility. Starting in January, the compact model, which has already been very successful in Europe with about 850,000 units sold, will also be available in the U.S.

In his presentation to the high-profile audience in Washington, Dr. Zetsche expressed his conviction that the Smart fortwo will be a resounding success in the U.S. as well. The reason is that the smallest model produced by Mercedes-Benz Cars is a standout - not only because of its unique compact design and intelligent, safety-oriented construction, but also thanks to its low fuel consumption and exemplary environmental friendliness. "Europeans are enthusiastic about the Smart and we are beginning to see Americans share this enthusiasm," said Dr. Zetsche.

"More than 50,000 Americans have already tested the Smart in our U.S. road show, and over 30,000 of them have by now reserved a vehicle.”Zetsche added that he could well imagine a large-scale project in cooperation with a partner city in the U.S. to test the electrically powered Smart fortwo, similar to the project that is currently running in London.

Interested guests were able to experience the "zero-emission" Smart fortwo at first hand during today's event and form their own impressions through test drives.The distribution partner for the sale of Smart models in the U.S. will be the Penske Automotive Group.