Last summer, with gas prices spiking to more than $4 per gallon, there was a waiting list to buy a Smart Fortwo. This summer, even as prices have begun to climb again, sales of the Smart car have slipped far enough that the company has decided to offer an incentive on the little cars for the first time.
USA Today reports, "Sales have slowed enough that now Smart USA is offering its first sales incentive: 4.2% financing." Smart's sales in May of this year were almost 57 percent lower than in May of 2008.
Motor Trend adds, "It's a given that massively hyped, highly sought-after cars sell at or above sticker with no incentives out of the gate, and the Smart Fortwo proved to be no exception." But "now that the early adopters have bought theirs, the going is likely to get even tougher" for dealers selling the tiny cars.
For those who are interested in a Smart car, however, the incentive is good news. It comes on top of a recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study showing that the Smart car was the most affordable small car to fix after minor accidents.
If you're in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year's best cars as well as this month's best car deals.
