Australian sales of the country’s newest automotive brand, Smart, increased 240 per cent in January to an all-time high.

Sixty-eight Smart cars were delivered to customers last month, compared to 20 in the same period last year, continuing the sales gains of the last quarter of 2004 which saw a 45 percent increase in sales.

Australians took particular advantage of the warm summer weather boosting sales of the Smart roadster and Smart Fortwo cabrio.

A record number of Smart roadsters were purchased in January with 22 in the hands of fun-loving roadster buyers by the end of the month.

Driven by stronger sales of the cabrio, the Smart Fortwo range achieved its best monthly sales performance since August 2003.

Customer demand for the new Smart Forfour, which increased total Smart sales in the final quarter of 2004, also contributed to the sales increase in January, despite a temporary shortage of the more powerful 1.5-litre variant.

Senior manager responsible for Smart in Australia, Sam Tabart, said the record results indicated that Australians were becoming more aware of the Smart range of cars.

“Our focus for 2004 was the launch of the Smart Forfour so our marketing activity timing reflected this....".

“We have expected this growth. This is phase one activity to make Smart one of the most intriguing brands in the country,” said Tabart.