Smart Fortwo 2007 News

We always knew that Smart’s foray into the US market was an ambitious one, with the tiny ForTwo contrasting sharply with the American taste for pickup trucks and big SUVs.And now one US ForTwo owner has bridged the gap between the three cylinder, two-seat micro and more common US fare by sitting it atop a big block Chevy V8 and drag car chassis.With classic bigs ‘n littles placed well outside the ForTwo’s compact body, the result looks like the offspring of a Smart and a 60s F1 car, with the exhaust note of a monster truck. Plenty of people have fitted powerful motorcycle engines to their Smarts before, but this big block example takes the cake. Watch the desktop version of the Smart ForTwo drag car video here.

Smart’s third-generation Fortwo is a year behind schedule, which means it might be some time still until we see the car finally unveiled. To keep interest alive, Smart will reportedly unveil a pair of concepts previewing the design at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show next month.One will be for the new Fortwo while the second will preview a new Forfour. The Forfour, as you may have guessed by its name, is a four-seat version of the Fortwo. It was launched alongside the first-generation Fortwo but never spawned a successor. The latest concepts will more closely resemble the new Smarts than the previous Forstars concept shown in 2012.Underpinning them and the eventual production models they will spawn will be the new platform jointly developed by Smart and alliance partner Renault (the French automaker will use it for its next-generation Twingo). The new platform will be flexible enough to spawn a variety of models including a high-riding crossover, reports Autocar.This larger Smart will target the MINI Countryman, though it is expected to come exclusively with a rear-engine, rear-drive layout. This configuration is said to be a signature of the Smart brand and won’t be changing, at least with the coming generation. Spy shots of both the new Fortwo and new Forfour have surfaced, though they only show test mules in an early stage of development. A debut is likely to take place next year.www.motorauthority.com  

This German ad for the Smart Fortwo shows how useless the tiny runabout is on off-road terrain. It’s okay though, because it beats any 4x4 wagon over city terrain.

A niche purchasing method for that most niche of cars, Smart, has been launched online. The Mercedes-Benz two seat micro car can be bought entirely through a website. There have been online gambits previously, most notably Subaru's 2012 sell out of its entire annual allocation of the BRZ sports car. But Benz managing director Horst Von Sanden says the smart initiative goes further. “While there have been opportunities for customers with other brands to secure a vehicle online with a deposit, the difference with this platform is that every single detail including; calculation of on road and delivery costs, the amount of the payment in full, service packages and dealer delivery point, can be completed via the platform, and won't be restricted to a specific time period”, Von Sanden says. “While we will be adding insurance and finance options shortly, our current customers can either make payment in full with a credit card, or pay a $2000 deposit and complete the balance via Bpay. “We are extremely satisfied with the online platform, and since its introduction last week, four smart cars have already been sold.” Both current models the Smart Fortwo and Smart Fortwo cabrio can be configured in the site. They're priced to driveaway at $18,990 and $20,990 for the open top. The first online Smart Fortwo was bought by James White from Sydney and delivered through Morrison Motors of Chatswood.  

... and this test mule points to a potential +2 model with a bigger cabin. The new ForTwo stays as a tiny two-seater but the +2 is expected to add back seats for two more.

Just drive in and park – and you’ve got charge. Or slot into a special carpark on the street and do the same thing.Similar to the inductive charging plates you can get for mobile phones – and the inductive technology used by your electric toothbrush as well – cordless charging is probing into the car world.A trial project has been started in Berlin, with German carmakers Audi, BMW, Daimler, Opel and VW lining up to give their electric vehicles a shot. The real-world trial is being backed by the German government, and will start in March 2012 with a family of four living in an induction-equipped house.Over the 15 months they’re in residence, they’ll get to drive cars from the German brands, with the first car onto the rank being a Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-CELL modified with a special charging coil that allows an induction charging option.The A-Class E-CELL will be parked over a charging coil in the carport floor, automatically activating charging via an electromagnetic field. The A-Class will still be able to be charged via the house’s domestic power outlet and public charging stations.Lining up behind the A-Claass – and from the same Daimler stable - are a Smart Fortwo and a Smart ebike electric bicycle, all of which will be evaluated to see how well the technology fits into everyday family life. At least, if you’re an everyday family living in a one-off science lab project.

The most likely site of the preview is the Paris Motor Show in the final quarter of 2012, based on strong sales in crowded European capital cities.

Two new Smart cars are on the boil as Daimler of Germany leverages a new tie-up with Nissan-Renault. There will be two cars for two continents but only one is likely to make it to Australia. "There is a tie-up with Nissan to build a car for the USA and another with Renault for Europe," says David McCarthy, spokesman for Mercedes-Benz Australia. He is short on detail because the future models are still on the secret list, but admits there are rumours that the American car will be a four-seater twinned with the new Nissan Micra and the European model will share with the next Renault Twingo. "We really have nothing to say yet," says McCarthy. But it's unlikely that Smart will ever grow to the multi-car lineup originally planned for the brand. At one time there were ForTwo, ForFour and Roadster models in showrooms with a compact SUV also in the planning. Prices were too high and sales were too low - although the Brabus ForFour which sold at $40,000 still brings $30,000 for secondhand sales - to sustain a stand-alone brand. Instead, Benz cut the Smart line right back to the ForTwo and decided it would be used as an entry to the Mercedes-Benz lineup. As well as a way of spreading development costs and bringing an emissions credit from the baby cars to benefit the whole Daimler lineup. While the ForTwo is certain for Australia there is also the possibility of electric scooters under the Smart brand, following a two-wheeled preview at the Paris Motor Show last month. "It gives a clue. We've got to find someone to build it," says McCarthy. While the future cars are some way away, the existing Smart ForTwo is heading for a major makeover including smoother bodywork and daytime running lamps. It will arrive in Australia early next year following a preview last month in Germany. "We will have the ForTwo in the first quarter. It should be February," says McCarthy. But, as Smart is being renewed, Mercedes-Benz has axed the baby A-Class in Australia. "It's no longer part of the catalogue. But there will be another A- Class and it will return," says McCarthy. "We decided to concentrate on the B-Class and our decision has been vindicated by the sales. Last month it actually led its class in the small segment, with 237 sales against the Audi A3 at 137, and we've outsold the Mini and 1 BMW Series year-to-date. B-class sales are significantly higher today than A and B were together."

A rear-impact airbag has just been developed by Toyota and will hit the road when the company's newest baby car, the iQ, goes into full-scale production.

The outside temperature hits 35C and you're squashed inside a tiny capsule 10 degrees or more hotter than that.With your knees almost around your ears, you concentrate on the unchanging road in front of you, alone and with nothing for company but a steering wheel, some pedals, a tube supplying much-needed water and radio contact with teammates following behind in the support van.As I hit the Darwin heat last weekend, there was no imagining necessary, as I was there to see and take part in the World Solar Challenge.And while I'd like to lay claim to having experienced this hard work first hand, I was in fact watching from the comfort of an airconditioned Smart Fortwo equipped with cruise control.While 38 teams from 19 countries around the world sweated it out in the biennial event, driving from Darwin to Adelaide in a solar car in seven days, my role was in the Greenfleet Class of the challenge.This part of the event involves cars showing off “practical technologies for tomorrow”. There were entrants from car manufacturers such as Smart, Saab, Audi, Peugeot and Hyundai, as well as different companies from around the world. Bio-ethanol, hybrid and small engines like the Fortwo were among the competitors for the 3000km event.Having driven the new Fortwo, not yet on sale in Australia, in the chaotic Spanish traffic for the international launch earlier this year, it was time to put the old one to the test in some different circumstances.And as I flew the flag for team Smart last Sunday in what's often considered an unusual-looking car, the Fortwo's unique nature was overshadowed by the solar creations from schools, universities and corporations from around the world.However, the squashed-looking car still drew some giggles from the locals as we headed off for the first leg, the 300km drive to Katherine. One of our competitors even commented that we'd managed to “leave half our car behind”. And it was a celebrity send-off as we pulled out our Queen-style wave as children and adults alike lined the roads, some with good luck signs, others even setting up their picnic chairs out of town to ensure a glimpse of some of the wacky creations.Caught up in the excitement of it all, the toy car-like horn of the Smart was given a good work out, bringing a smile to many faces. The peculiar solar vehicles slowed us down a bit as we headed for the Stuart Highway, the reliance on the sun's rays not quite as fast as the power available from the 700CC turbocharged engine underneath the Smart bonnet.While speed limits now reach 130km/h in the Northern Territory, I managed to maintain a constant speed of just over 100km/h, keeping the challenge of fuel efficiency in the forefront of my mind. This meant employing other techniques such as minimising hard braking and not letting the revs rise too much.You couldn't help but feel a little guilty as you passed the futuristic cars, watching the drivers do their shifts of up to five hours at a time in what is ultimately a sauna on wheels.But NSW's sole entry, a team of 12 students from the University of NSW, assured me it really wasn't that bad.Team leader Yael Augarten, who is doing her PhD in solar-cell research, says she'd prefer to drive a solar car than a sports car any day.“I love it. It's actually quite relaxing. We haven't been going that fast, sitting about 60-70km/h,” she says.“It's like driving a sports car with the airconditioning off, but there is a vent that lets in a nice breeze.”However, with temperatures inside the shell reaching as high as 50C during the week, I think it will take a little more convincing before any sportscar owners opt for a trade-in.And from where I was sitting, the Fortwo seemed to be the more comfortable and better option.Smart competed in this event two years ago, and while this section isn't supposed to be competitive, it did walk away with the best fuel consumption — about 3.2 litres per 100km.Smart spokesman Zac Loo says the event shows the Fortwo isn't just a city car, and can be driven across the country as easily as any other vehicle.And during our trek, the Fortwo showed it could hold its own on the long highways. What seemed like a daunting task of passing those high-speed road trains, was actually a lot easier than expected.Images of the Smart being lifted off the road by the sheer force of four-trailer road-trains using the outback highways was quickly dispelled.Despite being less than an eighth the size of the beasts, the Fortwo stayed comfortably on the road. However, when they passed, the strong rush of wind in their wake did leave the car wobbling slightly.We arrived at Katherine with half a tank of fuel left, averaging around 4.5 litres per 100km, not bad considering we had the airconditioning working overtime. The combined claimed consumption for the Fortwo sits at 4.8litres per 100km.