SANTA ROSA, Calif., Dec. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Within hours of putting the first legal U.S. SMART Car on eBay, bidders rushed to become the first to own one, said U.S. distributor ZAP (BULLETIN BOARD: ZAPZ) .
ZAP says that over 10,000 people have visited the eBay auction site, according to the eBay counter, and 239 people have put the SMARTCAR on their eBay Watch List. ZAP is selling the first DOT and EPA approved version of the car in the United States. Bidding for the SMART Car rose to $23,556.78 as of today at 9:15 AM PST. To view the auction, which runs through December 16, visit http://www.ebay.com/ and search using the keywords 'SMART Car' under eBay Motors.
Since announcing its intentions to sell the SMART Car in the U.S., ZAP has says 8,100 hand-raisers have visited its website stating their intent to purchase the two passenger microcar. Car-buyers are now placing reservation fees to be next in line to purchase the cars when they go on sale, sometime in early 2005, says CEO Steve Schneider.
ZAP said that the auction had to be reinitiated after it was discovered that new technical information needed to be added, including a misprint on the Vehicle Identification Number. EBay software does not allow the change of information without re-listing the auction.
Frank Giovinazzi, Web Editor for the American International Auto Dealers Association (AIADA), called the move "marketing genius." His article reports that the SMART Car has already sold in over 30 countries, more than 500,000 units globally. ZAP, which has become one of the most recognized brands in advanced transportation, was named in Advertising Age's Marketing 100 in 2000 for its innovative marketing.
ZAP is moving ahead with the U.S. marketing and distribution for the SMART Car after announcing federal DOT and EPA approval on November 22 at the San Francisco International Auto Show. ZAP is working to establish a nationwide dealer network that caters to energy-efficient car-buyers, including cars that run on electricity and fuel cells.
All the traffic to ZAP's listing of the SMART Car on eBay has also attracted attention to its other innovative transportation and energy products. ZAP's Information Technology Manager Yuan Wang says that sales for ZAP's new Portable Energy and ZAPPY3 electric scooter have been increasing based on the interest in the SMART Car.
ABOUT ZAP
ZAP has been a leader in clean transportation technologies since 1994, delivering more than 85,000 vehicles to customers in more than 60 countries. A public company, ZAP is traded on the Over-the-Counter stock exchange under the symbol ZAPZ. The company offers a variety of advanced technology vehicles, including electric cars, bicycles, scooters, motorbikes, underwater scooters and more. For more information, visit http://www.zapworld.com/ or call +1-707-525-8658. ZAP is not affiliated with, or authorized by, smart gmbh, the manufacturer of SMART automobiles, or the smartUSA division of Mercedes-Benz LLC, the exclusive authorized U.S. importer and distributor of those vehicles. ZAP purchases its vehicles from non-affiliated direct importer Smart-Automobile LLC.
Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, continued acceptance of the Company's products, increased levels of competition for the Company, new products and technological changes, the Company's dependence upon third-party suppliers, intellectual property rights, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.