the SMART is smart
This is a post about finding and utilizing a need…
Some weeks ago I went to Hamburg in Germany. I was there for a week, and I enjoyed to see how a society, which in some way is like mine, differently solved problems and obstacles. E.g. it is inspiring for me to see how Germany manage taxes compared to the way we do it in Denmark. In Denmark we pay extremely high taxes compared, and still… Germany is just around the corner (geographically speaking). Germany is a lot bigger though, so… it might not be the best comparison, I apologize for that.
Anyway!
For years parking space has been a problem in capitals and large cities. We all know how it is when you can’t find a place to park, and you’re in a hury. It’s an experience, but when you’ve tried it once, the outcome of it is limited.
They do also have parking-problems in Hamburg. And one thing I noticed when I was there was the amount of SMARTs. The SMART-car itself belongs to the category; microcars. It is tiny, and you can park 3 SMARTs within the space you need to park one normal car; see that’s what I call optimization.
So, the need of the SMART exists…that’s a good thing.
It all began in 1993 when Mercedes-Benz (a german carmaker) decided to study the possibilities of a subcompact car. They teamed up with Swatch Group Ltd. and founded Micro Compact Car AG in 1994. Three years later the SMART was launched in 25 countries, and it was sold in 750.000 copies the first year.
They found a need, and fulfilled it…
Now, I’m not that much into the world of cars. But to me, 750.000 copies in 25 different countries (30.000 cars per country) is nothing! I actually don’t know how the numbers look today (I guess they are increasing!)… but that is not the important thing.
The important thing here is how Mercedes-Benz in 1993, saw the increasing need for a subcompact car, and by that discovery became the first to launch such a unique car in our days; and that brings Mercedes-Benz (and the SMART) to the front.
So, the point of this post?… FIND NEEDS and fulfil them! If people is struggling with a need, they’ll be ready to pay if you got a solution for them. Why not utilize that?
(CREATING a need is, in some cases, a much greater idea, but I will comment that method later on…)
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I actually laughed when I saw my first Smart car in Europe. After coming from America, it looked like a toy car compared to all the SUVs I saw everyday.
But, it’s really quite a good idea as you pointed out. Most people in cities drive alone, and parking is always atrocious. I love that Mercedes is looking for solutions for that.
As a side note, when my dad came to visit me in Germany this summer, we also spent a lot of time looking at Smart cars in Hamburg. My dad had heard that they’re coming to the US in 2008, and he wanted to take a look. I was positive we were going to get in trouble for peering into random parked Smart cars on the street, but it’s hard to pull a car enthusiast away from something new!
Soon as my dad arrived back in the States, he bought an option to buy two Smart cars right when they come out. One option he’s hoping to sell, but he definitely plans to drive the other one around our hometown. He loves that Mercedes is doing something different, especially a car that will save him money on gas and not take up too much space!