Automotive Industry

D/C may close Smart yet.(DaimlerChrysler AG)

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Byline: Jens Meiners

All options remain on the table for Smart, including a closure of the brand altogether.

That is what DaimlerChrysler CEO Jurgen Schrempp told financial analysts this month, sources tell Automotive News Europe.

"We are known for unpopular decisions," Schrempp told the analysts.

Smart has lost [euro]2.6 billion since the brand was launched in 1998, analysts estimate. Losses this year could be as high as [euro]600 million.

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A D/C spokesman denied that Schrempp said Smart's future is in doubt, adding that closure of the brand is "out ...