DaimlerChrysler's Smart division has been given a reprieve. The struggling microcar unit will get a 1.2 billion euros bail-out. But the turnaround plan calls for substantial job cuts and the elimination of several models, including the mini-sport-utility vehicle (SUV), the Formore, that was supposed to serve as the brand's entree into the critical US market. The German carmaker's officials have sent mixed signals in recent months, especially the brash chief executive, Juergen Schrempp. He recently suggested that Smart might be dropped, but during a conference call with automotive analysts and journalists at the start of April he announced that the firm will "continue with the brand".
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