| home |
| features & specs |
| photos |
| where to buy |
| other resources |
| latest news |
| LATEST SMART CAR NEWS: |
June 10, 2007 First U.S. Dealership Is Approved...
Smart Car, Dumb Marketing February 1, 2007 Pity the Smart Car. Relatively popular in Europe, the SmartforTwo is finally coming to the U.S., but the confused marketing efforts might doom the car before it ever arrives. SmartUSA, a subsidiary of the Mercedes Group and therefore part of DaimlerChrysler, is bringing the SmartforTwo to the U.S. for the 2008 model year, after more stops and starts than a teenager's first drive in a car with a stick. First the Smart was coming to the U.S., then not, then there was a 4 passenger version, now it's a two-seater only. DaimlerChrysler's small Smart Fortwo makes big debut at Detroit Auto Show January 7, 2007 Smart Fortwo Front-wheel-drive two-passenger minicar Engine: To be announced One of the most eagerly anticipated debuts at the auto show, the all-new Smart Fortwo is the second-generation of the fashionable little plastic-bodied city car that DaimlerChrysler developed for Europe's congested city centers. The new Fortwo is bigger than the original, but it's still teeny -- at 106.1 inches long, more than four feet shorter than a Pontiac Solstice roadster -- and fuel efficient, promising up to 40 m.p.g. The car's 7.7 cubic foot cargo space is suitable for grocery bags -- and more than triple luggage space available in a Solstice when the Pontiac's convertible top is stowed. Standard safety equipment includes a frame made of high-strength steel under the plastic body panels, electronic stability control and antilock brakes. U.S. sales of the Fortwo will begin early in 2008. Smart will reveal technical information on the U.S. model's engine closer to that date. Roger Penske's United Auto Group will distribute the Fortwo. An announcement about a Detroit-area dealer should come early this year. "The Smart is simply cool," said Mercedes Chairman Dieter Zetsche, on the ice rink where Mercedes also introduced its Ocean Drive concept. The European model, Zetsche said, has become the "it-car on the streets of great European cities, such as Rome, Paris and Berlin." January 7, 2007 The company that killed the electric car, at least according to the makers of a popular 2006 documentary film, intends to announce today that it's getting back into that business. General Motors will unveil the Chevrolet Volt concept today in Detroit. While not a pure electric like the EV1 that GM leased to about 800 people from 1996 to 2004, the Volt relies on batteries and electric motors for nearly all of its propulsion. It can be charged at home using a household outlet and includes a tiny turbo-charged gasoline engine to help keep the batteries charged. It's a concept rather than a working vehicle, and GM says the battery technology to make it happen is still three to five years away, but it's ``not a science-fair project,'' said Jon Lauckner, the company's vice president of global program management. The Volt will be one of more than 50 new production or concept cars unveiled today through Tuesday at the North American International Auto Show. The Detroit event is the most significant U.S. auto show and a bellwether of what we'll be driving in 2007 and beyond. This year's lineup ranges from redesigned minivans and the Viper sports car from Dodge to mainstream models such as the Chevrolet Malibu, the Ford Focus and the Toyota Tundra pickup. The Volt announcement comes as GM tries to improve its reputation as an environmentally sensitive automaker, a view many car buyers have of Toyota and Honda. GM has delivered more than 400 diesel-electric hybrid buses to 33 North American cities as well as to Yosemite National Park. It sells one mild hybrid that can't run solely on electricity, the Saturn Vue Green Line, but has said it will offer many more fuel-efficient hybrids in the next few years. It will begin operating a 100-vehicle test fleet of hydrogen-fuel-cell vehicles later this year. And, at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show, GM Chairman Rick Wagoner made his company the first to pledge to build and sell a plug-in hybrid, which could be charged at home and offer greater fuel economy than a regular hybrid. He didn't say when the plug-in hybrid, also based on the Saturn Vue, would arrive. The Volt is a step beyond that model. Some Volt drivers, if they drive 40 miles a day or less, ``may never go to the gas station,'' said Scott Fosgard, a GM spokesman. Someone with a 60-mile round-trip commute who charged the Volt at home would get the equivalent of 150 miles per gallon, GM said. The Volt ``reflects some kind of change of heart at the very highest levels of GM,'' said Bradley Berman, editor of hybridcars.com. ``This idea of an electric car that has extended range is really smart.'' Still, he noted, ``the Achilles' heel of this initiative is its dependence on a breakthrough in battery technology. Many industry observers believe that breakthrough is coming, but nobody can say when.'' As explained by GM, the Volt relies on a chassis that's flexible enough to accommodate a family of propulsion systems, all revolving around electricity. Besides the electric motor and battery pack, it could use a small internal-combustion gasoline engine, or one that uses an ethanol blend, or biodiesel, or even a fuel cell that uses hydrogen. It can be plugged into a household outlet, getting a full charge in about six or seven hours. Officials at Tesla Motors, the San Carlos electric-car company, and proponents of plug-in hybrid vehicles say electricity costs much less than gasoline. The Volt isn't a hybrid, Lauckner said, because the gas engine activates only ``when the battery pack is exhausted. People want to say this is a hybrid. It's pure electric drive.'' In the Volt, said engineer Nick Zielinski, the powertrain includes an electric drive motor; a lithium-ion battery pack; a generator; a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder, turbo-charged gas engine; and a home plug-in charger. That result, said Tony Posawatz, a GM vehicle line director, is a car that carries four or more passengers, has a 40-mile range on pure electricity and a 640-mile total range. That tops the EV1, the innovative vehicle that was the subject of director Chris Paine's documentary. His film ``Who Killed the Electric Car?'' suggested automakers such as GM, oil companies and the government all worked to make sure electric vehicles didn't succeed. Since then, however, higher gas prices, the war in Iraq and the advent of hybrids all have pushed greener vehicles into the spotlight. Much work remains to be done, GM officials say, although they wouldn't offer a timetable. Lauckner said a production version of the Volt will arrive ``not way, way out there in the future.'' Battery development is a key, and GM suggests a suitable unit might be ready for production in 2010 to 2012. The Volt could put a charge in the always electrifying Detroit event. ``This is America's big spotlight show,'' said Matt Stone, executive editor of Motor Trend magazine. New or redesigned 2008 models scheduled to be seen for the first time include the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Caravan minivans, the Dodge Avenger mid-size sedan, the Cadillac CTS, the Chevrolet Malibu, the Mitsubishi Lancer, the Mini Cooper, the BMW 3-Series convertible, the Ford Focus, the Nissan Rogue crossover-utility vehicle and the huge Toyota Tundra CrewMax pickup. Concepts of note should include the Chevy Camaro convertible, Lincoln MKR, Chrysler Nassau luxury coupe, the Jeep Trailhawk sport-utility, a Saab 9-3 convertible that burns bio-ethanol fuel, an Acura sports car and a smaller Volvo utility, the XC60. Stone said he's looking forward to seeing the Ford Interceptor concept, a four-door rival to the Chrysler 300C that is based on the Mustang. While last month's Los Angeles Auto Show adopted a green theme, the focus in Detroit is likely to be the state of what used to be known as the Big Three: Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, which is now part of Germany's DaimlerChrysler. GM will show redesigns of two important production cars, the mainstream Chevrolet Malibu sedan and the Cadillac CTS, a rival to the BMW 3-Series. Chrysler hopes its restyled minivans can revive a segment that seems to be fading.
Smart much smarter after November 24, 2006 I threaded my way through the traffic to the car park. A crowd of protesters stood in the drizzle and half-darkness, waving placards. Their message was clear: they wanted more smarts. German humour. Quickly driving past, I started the circular climb to the roof, passing strange sights on the way, including two smart fortwo models parked in a single bay and next to them an ordinary saloon in a bay with another apparently mounting it. German humour again. Then the final turn on to the roof. But instead of a dark expanse of cold, wet, windswept concrete, there was a glass-walled edifice, aglitter with light, welcoming and warm. German hospitality. This was Dr Z’s smart event: the official unveiling of the new, slightly larger, slightly higher-powered, slightly roomier and more comfortable (but just for two) smarter smart fortwo for 2007. Arriving in the UK late next summer, it is 90 per cent different from the previous fortwo but looks similar, with changes aimed at enhancing the original concept without departing from it. It is about 7½in longer, the boot is a third bigger, the diesel emits only 90 g/km of CO2 and averages about 80mpg, while the 1-litre petrol engine produces up to 84bhp and has a top speed of 90mph. New smart’s five-speed automated manual gearbox is said to shift more smoothly than the previous six, and safety has been designed to achieve the EuroNCAP four-star rating. There is a choice of coupé or cabrio, which has a powered roof that can be opened and closed even at top speed. German engineering. Smart is the progeny of a marriage between the watchmaker, Swatch Group, and the carmaker, Mercedes-Benz; in 1994, they set up the jointventure company, Micro Compact Car. Later, Daimler-Benz (now DaimlerChrysler) took a 100 per cent share. Early design plans for the smart (it stands for Swatch Mercedes Art) included overall length about the same as the width of a truck, with the ability to park end-on to the kerb. The project needed significant investment in technology, not least to ensure that the car did not fall over in extremis. Early reaction was guarded, not only because of its offbeat design but also because its handling was uninspired. While Daimler-Benz was serious about it (albeit commercially nervous), some regarded it as a joke, with its little rear-mounted 700cc engine, quirky interior and stubby exterior, but it was steadily improved. About 750,000 have been sold. The original smart fortwo might have emerged before its time but now the seriousness of the world’s looming ecological crisis is becoming accepted, it may come into its own. Zetsche said: “The advantages of smart have become more evident today and with environmental changes the need for it is greater. Cities have to find solutions to jams and emissions.” Wilfried Steffen, the president of DaimlerChrysler UK, believes smart jokes are history. “It is not just a fashion item but a rational way to meet transport needs,” he said. So, with its snug fit into traffic-clogged streets and its green credentials, the birth of the latest, improved fortwo on a Stuttgart stacker could be timely. German fortuitousness.
Street Smarts December 10, 2006 But, alas, it’s not you they’re talking about. It’s the tiny, imported, two-seat, attention mobile you’ve been driving around in. “There’s always a crowd around me asking questions about the car,” said Rusty DeWolfe of Pacific. DeWolfe, 66, is one of the first South Sound residents to own a smart car (the company keeps the name lowercase). She bought her purple, smart fortwo – a reference to the number of passengers the car holds – from I-5 Motors, a Fife dealership that began selling the cars four months ago. Smart cars are popular in Europe for their fuel economy and small size. Smart, a division of DaimlerChrysler/Mercedes Benz, plans on selling an American version of the smart stateside in 2008, despite industry analysts’ prediction that there’s little market in this country for a car that is slightly larger than a California King mattress. The smart cars sold in the states now are bought in Europe, imported and modified. Alex Spearman, co-owner of I-5 Motors, thinks rising gas prices will create more of a demand for the cars than people expect. “I think it’s a great car that’s going to have an impact over here,” Spearman said. “If gas wasn’t such an issue, then why is everybody and their brother coming out with a hybrid?” The Car The smart car was designed for navigating narrow European streets, wedging into unthinkably small parking spaces and fueling up in a country where gas might cost more than $5 per gallon. The cars started trickling into the United States at the beginning of this year, modified by G&K Automotive Conversion in California to meet U.S. Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency emission standards. George Gemayel, G&K president, said he’s converted 1,100 smart cars in less than a year. Spearman, in Fife, said he’s sold 80 of the cars – which start at $24,000 – in four months. That smart cars can achieve up to 60 miles to the gallon. That combined with their small size appeals to local drivers. “I use it for everything,” said Janet McDaniel of Spanaway. She saw the smart cars last summer on a visit to her home in England. When it came time for a new car, the sheer cuteness combined with the fuel economy made buying a smart an easy decision. McDaniel uses her smart for errands, visiting relatives in Kent and shopping. She once crammed 10 grocery bags into the car, an impressive feat considering the cargo space of the smart fortwo is about the size of a large dresser drawer. The smart fortwo does have its limitations. If you have a large dog, a large family or large toys, a two-passenger, 8-by-5-foot car might be smart, but not for you. People who buy the car for what it is, though, find it fits their life. Greg Berkholtz, a 28-year-old systems analyst from Portland, uses his smart to tool around town and squeeze into parking nooks, like the space left between two SUVs or half spots that a bigger car could never consider. “I like the ease of getting in and out of the car without a lot of hassle,” he said. The ride Erin Briones of Olympia saw a smart car for the first time outside the Proctor District Starbucks in Tacoma last week. Briones, who works in the neighborhood, slid into the car with a friend. “We had enough room for me and him,” she said. Room – it’s what most people expect the smart car not to have. With the exception of one 6-foot, 3-inch passenger who had to dip his head to keep from hitting on the ceiling, most people are surprised by the amount of space inside. In fact, drive a smart car and you might forget that you are in a tiny car. The car height and its seat put you at eye level with most other small to midsized vehicles. The ability to operate the transmission automatically or manually lets you quickly accelerate on the highway – and a top speed of 85 mph doesn’t relegate you to the slow lane. Yep. You might forget you were in a smart car if it weren’t for two things: The car has no behind, which you quickly discover when you look out the rear window from the front seat, and there’s enough people gawking to remind you that you must be driving something different. The few local smart car owners have come to expect the latter. “I have to go to Renton today to deliver Christmas presents,” DeWolfe said last week. “I know it’s going to take me a lot longer because I get all these questions.” The Future Daimler Chrysler plans on manufacturing an American version of the fortwo – smart’s smallest car – to be sold in the United States in 2008. Tony Tordon, senior vice president of the United Auto Group and smart USA, said some version of the car will cost less than $15,000, though the pricing hasn’t been firmed up. United Auto Group – a Michigan company that will be the distributor of the smart cars – is still deciding which dealerships will sell the smarts. “I expect the smart car to be very successful,” Tordon said. “This car appeals across genders. It’s a unique vehicle that speaks to the joy of life and makes a statement about you.” But industry analysts doubt that Americans, used to big roads and big cars, will go for a car that appears unsafe. “I question how much of a market there is for a vehicle like this,” said John Wolkonowicz, senior market analyst with Global Insight, an economic and market analysis company. “When the car needs to share the road with a Chevy Suburban and an 18-wheeler, it’s probably too small for many consumers.” The smart car received three of five stars on Europe’s automotive safety rating system. Smart and dealers that sell them tout the steel cage that surrounds the driver and the passenger, aimed at protecting them from outside impact. Other safety features include driver and passenger air bags and technology such as a electronic brake and hill start assists. Still Dave Terebessy, an analyst with CSM Worldwide, is not convinced that the smart car is a match for most American vehicles. “Even equipped with the best safety features, it’s just the law of physics that the smaller car (when hit by something larger) will not do all that well,” he said. Maybe a niche, maybe more Wolkonowicz notes that there might be a niche of consumers who buy the car. “It will be more popular on the two coasts than in the middle of the country,” Wolkonwitz said. “But I don’t think it will be bought by people as mainstream. It’s truly a niche vehicle and not likely profitable for Daimler Chrysler.” But DeWolfe – the smart car owner from Pacific – thinks smart cars could be the wave of the future. “I just felt compelled that this was the way to go with transportation,” she said. “We current owners are saying something. We’re saying, ‘Hey, gas isn’t always going to be this price.’”
News Conference - U.S. Announcement by Daimler-Chrysler June 29, 2006 |
© 2009 SmartCar101.com. Note: This site is not affiliated with, or authorized by, Daimler-Chrysler AG, Smart Canada division, United Auto Group, or any other entity. This site is a fan site of the Smart Car and is for information purposes only. Accuracy of details and specifications is attempted but cannot be guaranteed.
|