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Daimler to retire Smart EV lineup from US market

Daimler to retire Smart EV lineup from US market

The Smart brand will no longer be sold in the US after the 2019 model year.

Daimler has confirmed plans to discontinue its Smart brand in the US market.

The company has struggled to sell Smart cars as American tastes continue to gravitate toward larger vehicles. The company in 2017 retired its gasoline-powered US lineup, leaving just the 'EQ'-branded EV.

"After much careful consideration, smart will discontinue its battery-electric smart EQ fortwo model in the US and Canadian markets at the conclusion of MY2019," the company confirmed in a statement to TechCrunch. "A number of factors, including a declining micro-car market in the US and Canada, combined with high homologation costs for a low volume model are central to this decision."

Sales are expected to continue through the end of the year, while existing Smart vehicles will continue to be serviced via the Mercedes-Benz dealer network.

The German automaker appears to be focusing its EV strategy on the Mercedes-Benz EQ range, including the EQC that is scheduled to land in showrooms by 2020.