Böblingen - The official arrival of smart on the Mexican market on 29 August is of far-reaching strategic importance. It marks the company's first step on the American continent and the economically significant NAFTA region (North American Free Trade Agreement). With a population exceeding 101 million, Mexico has largest national economy in Latin America. smart is entering the Mexican market with four sales outlets in Mexico City plus one sales outlet in each of the cities of Guadalajara, Monterrey and Veracruz. These sales outlets are attached to existing Mercedes-Benz dealerships.

The seven distribution centres have smart city-coupés, smart cabrios and also smart roadsters and roadster-coupés in stock for their customers. From the summer of 2004 the new smart forfour, which will be launched in Europe in April 2004, will also be sold in Mexico. The smart city-coupé with its ultra-compact dimensions and low emissions is the ideal car for Mexico City with its 22 million inhabitants and corresponding traffic and environmental problems.