Renault Twingo to Share Up to 70 Percent of Components with Smart ForTwo, ForFour

The all-new Smart ForTwo and ForFour minicars will share up to 70 percent of their components with the new Renault Twingo that was unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show. However, Smart claims that their models will bear no resemblance to the French city car. The ForTwo will retain its iconic shape, while the ForFour will be inspired by the Fourjoy concept car. 

Watch Mercedes Bully Around and Abuse a 2015 Smart ForTwo

Have you ever thought about how auto manufacturers evaluate their cars' strength and reliability under challenging and sometimes even extreme, but nonetheless, real conditions and scenarios? That's where test centers come into the picture.

We don't often get the opportunity to see what goes on at these centers, so when our spies told us that they took pictures and a video of a 2015 Smart ForTwo prototype undergoing some stressful and damaging tests, we just had to share.

In the video footage, we see Daimler/Mercedes-Benz/Smart engineers heavily abuse the 2015 ForTwo, making it jump and run over man-made wooden ramps, smash into objects, all for the safety and well-being of the car's future drivers and side passengers.

The ForTwo took quite a beating, cracking and breaking its bumpers, smashing its face and even losing its hood, but don't take our word for it, watch it for yourself in the following video.

Photo & Video Credits: CarPix for CarScoopS

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Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Debuts at the Guangzhou Auto Show

China will be the 14th market worldwide to get Smart’s ForTwo Electric Drive model, with the EV minicar becoming the first Europe-imported all-electric model available in the world’s largest car market.

The announcement was made at the Guangzhou Auto Show, where the ForTwo Electric Drive celebrated its Chinese debut. The EV is already available to buy from dealerships around the country.

The new generation Smart Electric Drive has been available in Europe, the USA, Canada and Japan since production began in 2012. The model is the number one battery-powered electric vehicle in Germany, making up around 40 percent of the EV market. Smart says roughly 93 percent of customers would recommend the smart electric drive.

The Smart ForTwo Electric Drive is powered by a 55kW (74hp) electric motor delivering 130 Nm (96 lb-ft) of instant torque which helps the EV sprint from 0 to 60 km/h (37 mph) in 4.8 seconds. Top speed is limited to 125 km/h (78 mph) to help the car achieve a driving range of 145 km (90 miles).

Smart sales in China rose 43.8 percent in 2012, with the country set to become a crucial market for vehicles with alternative drive systems, thanks to supportive measures from the local government. Many analysts predict China will become the world’s largest market for alternative drive vehicles as well. 

By Dan Mihalascu

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2011 Smart Fortwo Receives Minor Upgrades

The Smart Fortwo is entering the 2011 model year with an almost invisible change here and there complemented by the introduction of more economical engines.

In addition to the new range of available exterior colors that now include a matt finish and the availability of a red or blue colored soft-top for the cabrio models, the updated Fortwo gets fresh fabric and color options for the interior while the tridion safety cell is now optionally available in white.

Smart Announces First All-Electric Carsharing Fleet in the US

Daimler’s Car2go subsidiary has announced the introduction of the first all-electric carsharing fleet in North America. According to company, the plan calls for 300 zero-emission Smart ForTwo electric cars to arrive in the city of San Diego by the end of the year.

Smart Brings Some Color to Fortwo with New Nightorange Limited Edition

Over the years, Daimler's Smart unit has introduced many limited edition models of its Fortwo micro car such as the 'Three', 'Hello Kitty' and 'GB-10'. This time around, Smart has presented a more sporty looking special edition of the Fortwo called the Nightorange.

Vilner Custom Studio Takes on the Smart ForTwo

You may or may not like Vilner's aesthetic proposals, but you’ll have to agree that Bulgarian studio is a very good example of what a company from a relatively small country with no background in its niche can achieve with some hard work and smart yet efficient marketing tactics. You see, instead of focusing on the local market and waiting for someone to discover the firm’s products, over the past year or so Vilner has been aggressively promoting every tune it has worked on. We don’t know if this strategy has translated into an overseas income, but it has put the company on the map, and that’s something worth noting.
In this latest tune, Vilner crafted a bespoke Smart ForTwo for one of its local customers. The Lilliputian two-door model received extensive styling modifications built around a square motive that is visible inside and out. On the outside, the ForTwo gains a colorful wrap that includes a chrome finish at the back and orange wheels, while the interior has been completely reworked featuring new and more luxurious materials throughout. Follow the jump for more pictures as well as a video from the build.

So this is Music Nowadays: Apparatjik and Smart Collaborate with a Disco Ball Smart ForTwo [with Video]

When I say, “Apparatjik,” you say, “Gesundheit”. Why? Because no doubt you, like me, had not even heard of these guys until today. Apparatjik are an electro band from Europe that describes their music as, no joke, “combat-disco”. Oh how I wish I was making this up. Anyways, for the band’s latest art-exhibition-cum-live-show Smart – yes, the same one that makes those piddling little city cars – took one of their ForTwo EV’s and covered it with a mosaic of mirrors.
I guess it must be artsy or something. As Michael Fischer, a spokesperson for Smart and someone who probably understands Appartjik about as well as you or I, explains:
“It’s not their approach to deliver a perfect piece of art or a perfect piece of music. It’s a very conceptual project. It’s not like a regular band. They play in a cube.”

Mercedes-Benz USA to Take Over Smart Distribution from Penske, Ditches Plans for Nissan Micra-Based Car

Daimler is planning to end an agreement with Penske Automotive Group regarding the distribution rights of Smart cars in the United States and transfer all activities to Mercedes-Benz USA, starting from the end of the second quarter of 2011.

Smart Four-Seater Prototype Scale Model Scooped at R&D Facility

It's no secret that Mercedes-Benz plans to give its Smart brand one more chance to extend its vehicle range after the not so-successful Mitsubishi Colt-based Forfour and the Roadster series. Last April, the German automaker signed a deal with the Renault-Nissan Group, with the two parties announcing the development of a new rear-wheel drive platform to be used on the successor of the current Smart Fortwo, a new four-seater Smart and the next-generation Renault Twingo.

Mercedes-Benz Patents Designs of Smart Roadster Model

Back in 2001 at the Geneva Motor Show, Smart introduced a quirky roadster concept with no doors, no roof and no windscreen called the Crossblade. The Fortwo Cabrio-based concept eventually went into a limited series production the following year with Smart offering a total of 2,000 cars.
Fast-forward to today, and Smart appears to be readying a spiritual successor to the Crossblade as the firm's parent company Mercedes-Benz has trademarked these designs drawings of a two-seater roadster model.
Unlike the original Crossblade, which came without doors featuring instead steel safety bars at passenger shoulder height that swing upwards with the help of a gas-operated struts, the roadster model seen in these pictures gets a conventional set of doors. It also features a larger wind deflector surrounding the driver and passenger as well as Smart's trademark Tridion Safety Cell - albeit redesigned to look like separate safety bars.

All-Electric Smart Fortwo Joins Hertz Fleet

Mainstream American consumers may not be willing to cough up tens of thousands of dollars to buy new electric vehicles just yet, but they may be tempted to rent one. The Hertz Corp. and Smart USA today announced a joint partnership to bring the all-electric version of the Fortwo mini to Connect by Hertz car sharing and Hertz Rent A Car locations in New York, Washington, DC, and San Francisco.

Car Spotting: Ferrari Fortwo makes Aston's iQ look like a Work of Art

If anything else, you can't blame Smart Fortwo owners for not having a sense of humor. Snagged on the streets of London by Carscoop reader Rob J., the Smart-tuned-into-Ferrari Fortwo comes with all the latest advancements in aerodynamic technology such as the individual, F1 style front and rear spoilers that keep the car firmly on the ground, even when people pass by and sneeze. Intrigued? Run through the jump for more tantalizing pics.

How Cute: Smart Fortwo Says Hello Kitty to U.S. Buyers with Special Wraps

Hopefully, most of our readers will agree that a Smart Fortwo is a far more suitable candidate for a 'Hello Kitty' makeover than a Ferrari 360 Modena [weep here]. Furthermore, unlike the custom Modena, the Fortwo Hello Kitty is an officially licensed product as Smart's US distributor, Penske Automotive and Sanrio, the owner of the 'Hello Kitty' brand, signed an agreement to add a series of car wrap designs featuring the popular feline to the carmaker's vehicle customization program.

Smart Sales Collapsing, Brand Learns Importance of Marketing

Numbers for Smart's Lilliputian Fortwo are dismal here in the States: from 24,600 units in 2008, sales dipped to 14,600 cars in 2009 and are 60% down to date this year. Furthermore, only 8.1% of metro New York buyers would return to the brand, while San Francisco is marginally better at 19.8%. With virtually no marketing (that I can see), a transmission with quirks that have to be explained, and a $14,000 price tag, something clearly has to be done to rectify the misperceived city car brand.

Smart Commemorates 10 Years of UK Sales with Special Edition Fortwo

In celebration of 10 years of sales in the UK, Smart is launching a new exclusive model called the Fortwo "gb-10" edition, of which only 100 will be produced for the local market. The mix of models consists of 50 gasoline engine coupes, 10 gasoline cabrios, 30 diesel coupes and 10 diesel cabrios.

For-Two-Play: Smart Tank Ready for Combat

For those that find the standard Smart ForTwo too cute and feminine for their tastes, there's this awesome creation; a tanked-out version of Mercedes-Benz's Lilliputian sub³compact. Add a rotating turret with a built in projectile launcher and are you all set for combat. Too bad we don't have the 'Full Monty' on the car and its creator.

Gordon Murray's T.25 Oddball City Car Officially Revealed

Renowned Formula One race car and supercar designer Gordon Murray who gained fame for his involvement in the iconic McLaren F1 project, has finally taken the wraps off his latest creation [after more than two years of teasing], the T.25 city car.

Measuring 2.4 meters or 94.5-inches in length, 1.3 meters or 51.2-inches in width and 1.5 meters or 59-inches in height, the T.25 is smaller than Smart's minuscule Fortwo, yet Murray has managed to fit in three seats in a McLaren F1-style 1+2 layout with the driver sitting in the center of the car. The two passenger seats can be folded down allowing a luggage capacity of 720 liters.

Instead of using traditional doors, Murray opted to utilize the entire front section of the T.25 that pivots forward to allow entry into the car.

Smart Fortwo to be Sold in Brazil from 2009

Having already made its way to the North American continent, the Smart brand is now heading south and in particular to Brazil. The announcement was made today at the Sao Paulo Auto Show where the Fortwo celebrated its domestic debut. Smart will tap in the promising Brazilian market from April 2009 offering the second generation Fortwo in both coupe and cabrio versions. Over one million of the two-seaters have been produced since the introduction of the first generation Fortwo in 1998. -Continued


During the presentation of the Fortwo at the Sao Paulo Auto Show, Anders-Sundt Jensen, Head of Brand Management at Smart commented, "The smart fortwo is a real success story - it is winning over customers in 37 markets throughout the world. We are certain that the agile two-seater possesses the ideal prerequisites to inspire lifestyle-oriented customers in Brazil's urban centers, starting with São Paulo."

"The upscale and fuel-efficient fortwo boasts not only exemplary safety equipment and distinctive smart design, but also typical smart quality and reliability." he added.

Mercedes Launches Rent-A-Smart Project in Germany: Daily Cost set at €273...

On 24 October 2008, Smart's parent company Daimler will inaugurate a pilot rent-a-car project called 'car2go' in the southern German city of Ulm that will see a fleet of Smart Fortwo vehicles being made available for rent within the boundaries of the city. So what's so different about Daimler's project that any other car rental service? Well, the difference is that following a one-off registration process, the Fortwos can be hired spontaneously in passing, or pre-booked and used for as long as desired with customer being able to simply park the rental smart anywhere within the city limits. -Continued

According to Merc', billing for the Ulm project has been set 19 cents (Euro) per minute which includes of all associated costs such as fuel, insurance and taxes. If you do the math -19 Euro cents x 60 minutes x 24 hours, renting a Fortwo for a whole day will cost you an amazing €273.6 or a whopping $364.7 with the current exchange rates.

Even if Mercedes claims that favorable hourly or daily rates apply to longer rental periods and that there is no joining fee nor any requirements to enter into any long-term contractual commitment, that's a hell of a lot of money to rent a bucket on wheels a Smart for 24 hours...

Cost aside, on registering for car2go, the customer's driving license is provided with an electronic chip that enables the car to be unlocked. According to the German maker and now car-rental company, customers can simply hold their driving licenses up to a reading device behind the windscreen, get in, enter their PIN number and well, cry for the amount of money they're paying and drive off.

Available vehicles can be located via the internet or a telephone service hotline while alternatively, they can be booked up to 24 hours in advance for as long as desired. In this case the location and directions to the vehicle reserved are sent to the customer in good time via a text message.

Once you've had your fix, you can simply leave the vehicle in a parking space within the city limits. All "non-managed" parking spaces within the city limits can be used, for example the car can be parked at the side of the road or within marked parking spaces. In addition, specially marked car2go parking spaces are provided at railway stations or airports.