Are all USA smart fortwo's made in Hambach, France ?
After speculation of the the smart VIN and looking at the maps. I think the conclusions made about what the first two letters mean may be wrong. The confusing thing is, there is more then one Hambach. In fact there is more then one Hambach, Germany. But there is only one Hambach, France. This has led me to the conclusion that the first letter in the VIN "W" cannot mean Germany as previously speculated, but is only part of the first two letters "WM" meaning that smart is a World Manufacturer. So I think the USA VIN should decode as follows:
WM = World Manufacturer
E = smart
E = 451
J = coupe (pure, passion or brabus the same) ? or
K = cabriolet (passion or brabus the same) ?
31 = 70 HP N/A engine (I know there are other engine numbers but not USA)
X = passive restraints
= checksum (accuracy check) any digit 0-9 or X
9 = year (2009 example 9)
K = assembly building K, = Hambach, France (I have not seen any other letter but K in a USA VIN)
The next six numbers = the build sequence or serial number if you prefer.
Even though the smart is German designed and is a German car, and shipped from a German port, (Bremerhaven) All the USA smart fortwo's ( Including the USA Brabus) seem to be built in Hambach, France.
Any other conclusions ?
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