SMART
Smart Forvision Concept Highlights Energy-Efficient Technologies: Frankfurt Auto Show 2011
Daimler and German chemical company BASF have teamed up to produce the electric Smart Forvision concept vehicle which premiered at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show. The result is a futuristic-looking Smart car with several innovations designed to maximize energy efficiency from the electric drivetrain. The Smart Forvision concept uses five new technologies designed to conserve…
Smart Brabus Tailor Made by WeSC: the Latest Special Edition Smart [Frankfurt Preview]
The Smart car has sold reasonably well around the world, but it has hardly been the sales success its maker wishes it was. To keep the interest of car buyers, every now and then, it comes up with a special edition model. At this years Frankfurt Auto Show, Smart will show a model that it…
Smart Forvision Concept Rolls to Frankfurt Motor Show on Plastic Wheels
With little in the way of new product, Smart is set to debut yet another concept, this time at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Taking design inspiration from the Smart Forspeed concept that was first shown at the Geneva Auto Show, the Forvision concept is a look at just how efficient the rest of the car…
Smart Fortwo Electric Drive Coming In Spring Of 2012
The third generation Smart fortwo is on its way, hitting dealers in the spring of 2012. The electric Smart car will roll off the production line in Hamback, France and will be available in more than thirty markets worldwide when released. The third generation smart fortwo electric drive features a fifty-five kW magneto-electric motor, churning…
Smart Electric Bike Goes Into Production
With the e-bike set for production in 2012, Smart takes to two wheels—just in time to tap into the growing two-wheeled market. According to Smart’s figures, bicycle sales soared in Germany from 70,000 bikes sold in 2007 to 200,000 last year. And power-assisted bicycles will make up 15% of all two-wheeled sales by 2018. The…
Smart ForTwo Pearlgray Limited Edition Announced for Europe
Smart is looking to increase its ForTwo sales and perhaps generate some buzz around its lone model by releasing a limited edition Pearlgray version to the European market. (It’s currently unknown whether or not it’ll make its way to the United States). Based on the ForTwo’s Passion model, the limited edition Pearlgray will be available…
Smart Roadster Set to Make a Comeback
Smart is planning to produce a successor to its now retired roadster with the new model is set to hit dealers next year. Inspired by the ForSpeed concept (above), which was revealed at the Geneva Auto Show in March, the car is expected to stay true to the 2003 original with the distinctive low stance….
Smart ForTwo Illustrated With Futuristic Tweets
What would you like to see happen in the future? That’s the question posted by Smart on Twitter, and they used the resulting answers to decorate a car. In 140 characters or less, Smart asked people on Twitter what their view of the future was and had illustrator Johanna Basford pen them on a white…
Vilner Transforms Smart ForTwo
Dubbed Square Style, the tuners over at Vilner has transformed Smart’s ForTwo to interesting new heights. Originally commissioned for a Bulgarian businessman for advertising purposes, Vilner is now willing to offer this transformation to all those interested in making their Smart ForTwo more stylish and flashy. No performance modifications were done, but it’s evident that…
Brabus Tunes Smart ForTwo Cabrio, Available in Italy Only
Famed Mercedes-Benz tuner Brabus, has continued to expand their Smart ForTwo portfolio, this time with a modified cabrio. Called the Brabus La Bleue, the modified Smart ForTwo will be available only in Italy with a limited production of just 60 units. On the outside, the special edition vehicle will sport a dark blue metallic paint…
Fiat 500 Will Fail, Says Ford CEO Alan Mulally
For all the hype surrounding the Fiat 500, Ford‘s CEO, Alan Mulally, has become one of its most prominent detractors, condemning the car to failure before it’s even launched. Speaking to the Italian language magazine Panorama, Mulally remarked “I do not see large market in the U.S.A. for a smaller car than the Fiesta. Those that tried…
Geneva 2011: Smart Forspeed EV Roadster Wins The WTF Award
We’re all familiar with the Smart ForTwo, which is a polarizing vehicle to say the least, but initial impressions of their newest concept, the Forspeed EV Roadster, which debuted at the Geneva Auto Show, are all lining up in one direction, and it’s not exactly positive. Sure, the chopped roof and windshield are kind of…
Smart Forspeed EV Roadster Concept Revealed Ahead of Geneva Auto Show
The Forspeed concept is Smart‘s interpretation of a zero-emissions roadster, based on the only vehicle Smart currently builds: its Fortwo city car. It’s designed to complement the rest of Smart’s electric transportation lineup for really small vehicles, which includes a scooter and a bicycle. The squat, roofless car features huge, ringed headlights reminiscent of eyelashes,…
Nissan-Based Smart Car Axed as Mercedes Takes Back Mini-Car Brand from Penske
The struggling Smart brand was set to get a potential savior this year with the introduction of a new four-door based on a Nissan platform. That, however, will not happen now, as part of a new agreement where Smart and Mercedes parent company Daimler has taken back distribution of its mini-car from the Penske Automotive…
Smart Preparing For Two New Vehicles In The Near Future
Although the Smart ForTwo hasn’t been warmly received by American buyers, there is hope for the quirky maker of diminutive city cars, as parent company Daimler is backing the brand with new products and utilizing their alliance with Renault-Nissan to give the lineup a boost. A Smart representative confirmed that a four seat model will arrive sometime in the…
Chocolate-Themed Smart Car Makes Sweet Valentine’s Day Gift
Forget buying your Valentine chocolate – up the ante by getting them a chocolate-themed Smart car. Recently unveiled in Tokyo, the Smart car was designed by Q-Pot, a Japanese accessories company, and is not only painted brown but also showcases a pattern that looks like a bar of chocolate. It comes just a few weeks…
Mercedes-Benz Planning Rival To BMW MegaCity
Not one to let its long-time rival capitalize on every niche, Mercedes-Benz is apparently working on a small city car to rival BMW’s MegaCity project. Although only sketches and clay models exist, a possible synergy with the Smart brand could exist, especially in light of the brand’s recent foray into electric vehicles. The vehicle’s styling…
Smart ‘Ideas in Motion’ iPad App Lets You Contribute to a Collective eBook
You can help write the story of the world as you see it using the brand-new Smart iPad app. Now available for download at the iTunes store, this Smart iPad app, called “Ideas in Motion,” offers an interactive history of great visions and visionaries, and it allows you to add your own contributions so you…
New Smart Roadster/Cabriolet Patents Revealed
Several design patents of what appear to be a new Smart concept car have popped up online, showing what appears to be a typically unconventional small city car. We’re sorry to get your hopes up, but this is not a successor to the Smart Roadster, but rather a roadster (or cabriolet), inspired by the 2002…
Lorinser Introduces an Aftermarket Hybrid Setup With the Easybrid Smart Fortwo
Mercedes-tuner Lorinser is hopping onto the “go green” bandwagon with an innovative new product: an aftermarket hybrid drivetrain. This year at the Essen Motorshow, Lorinser has on display its new Easybrid on Smart‘s Fortwo. The electric motor produces around 41-hp and transforms the Fortwo into a hybrid vehicle. Lorinser promises added power and improved fuel…
Hello Kitty Wraps Available For Smart Fortwo
The Smart Fortwo is the cat’s meow – literally – now that you can plaster the world’s most popular cat all over it (and no, we’re not talking about Garfield). Smart has licensed the popular “Hello Kitty” brand and have added a line of car wrap designs that feature the beloved feline to the carmaker’s…
LA Auto Show Design Challenge Showcases 1,000 Pound Concepts
It’s amazing to see what a design team can do when they don’t have their arms tied by accountants. For the 2010 LA Auto Show‘s annual Design Challenge, automakers were invited to create a vehicle that is good for the environment, attractive and exciting to drive, but it also much be safe, seat four and…
Smart to Sell Small Nissan Model in the U.S. Next Year: The Smart forfive
Struggling with diminished sales, Daimler’s Smart Car division will expand its lineup in the U.S. with a new Nissan-made small car. The subcompact five-door will be powered by a gasoline engine and go on sale late next year. As a B-segment car, this subcompact fits in a class with models like the Honda Fit, Ford…
Smart eScooter, Smart eBike Explore Small Car Brand’s Green Possibilities [Paris 2010]
Smart had already teased us with the eScooter concept ahead of its Paris Auto Show debut, but with MINI also announcing a similar concept, Smart decided to take its green initiative to a new level – bicycles. The eScooter can seat both a driver and a passenger thanks to a secondary seat that folds out,…
