It's official: Smart axes the Forfour

DaimlerChrysler has announced the cancellation of Forfour production, subject to negotiations with Mitsubishi. There will be a large investment (1 billion euros) in the next Fortwo, due in 2007.

Mitsubishi manufactures both the Colt and the Forfour, which share a platform, in Holland.

The announcement comes after job cuts and attempts to contain costs in DaimlerChrysler's Smart division. Although no figures are available for 2005, parent company DaimlerChrysler has announced that its losses had narrowed compared with 2004’s loss of £420million.

Smart sold 43,700 Forfours in 2005, but speculation has been rife for many months that the car would be cancelled as part of a reorganisation of the Smart brand. Smart is declared by DaimlerChrysler to be on track to turn a profit in 2007, which would be its first since its inception in 1998.