Currently available from three Smart dealerships, one each in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, the Smart Fortwo and Smart Roadster will soon be available from thirteen retail outlets across the country.

The first three new retail outlets will start operating next month in Sydney.

These will be followed by three new locations in Melbourne, two in Brisbane and one each in Adelaide and Perth.

The expansion will be complete by the third quarter of this year, well before the introduction of the Smart Forfour, due at the end of 2004.

Since going on sale in mid-2003, over three hundred Australian customers have taken delivery of a Smart vehicle.

In 2004, the company expects to sell approximately 700 vehicles, whilst in 2005 this number will exceed 1,000 units.

“Last year saw the successful introduction of the Smart City-coupé, renamed Smart Fortwo at the beginning of the year in keeping with the naming of the new Forfour, and the Smart Roadster,” said Horst von Sanden, Managing Director of the Mercedes Car Group in Australia/Pacific.

“Given the influx of new models, and the growing interest in Smart down under, the next step is the expansion of the Smart retail distribution network.

“We are pleased that our current three-dealer set up – with outlets in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane – will grow by 300 percent by the third quarter of this year.

“Working together with our existing Mercedes-Benz dealer network, 10 new sales outlets for Smart have been identified Australia-wide, taking the total to 13.