Smart News

The motor show is dying. Even before the global pandemic shut down these events for several years, the spark had gone out as car makers invested less and less in these once extravagant expos.

Smart Automobile might have made a choice appropriate for its brand name when it named its new small electric car, the #3, skipping over #2 and avoiding some crass jokes.

It seems that as society starts to shift toward smaller domiciles, so too should we be shifting to smaller cars – which is a bit of an issue given carmakers have been steadily subtracting light cars from their Australian showrooms, or pricing them deep into the $20K-plus region.

Micro cars may be on the nose in Australia but no one seems to have told the makers.

The world's smallest car, the Smart ForTwo, will soon be withdrawn from sale locally because Australians aren't prepared to pay a premium for a city runabout.Priced from $18,990 drive-away the Smart car costs almost as much as a Toyota Corolla but is half the size and only has two seats.In Europe, where parking space is a premium, the Smart car has been a sales success because it is viewed as a "four-wheeled scooter" for its ability to squeeze into the tightest of spots.Australian sales have been in freefall since a peak in 2005Originally a joint venture between watch maker Swatch and the inventor of the automobile Mercedes-Benz, the Smart is only marginally longer than most cars are wide and can park perpendicular to the footpath.But Australian sales have been in freefall since a peak in 2005; demand became so weak that vehicle orders moved to online only in June 2013.Just 22 Smart cars have been sold so far this year in a market that is showing signs of recovery.Buyers have shunned the pint-sized parking solutionEven though Australia's cities and inner suburbs are becoming more congested, buyers have shunned the pint-sized parking solution."We worked really hard to keep the Smart car but not enough Australians are buying it in the numbers we need to make it viable," said Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy. "It's regrettable, but it's the way it is."More than 4400 Smart cars have been sold in Australia in the 12 years since 2003, including 296 Smart Roadsters from 2003 to 2006 and 585 ForFour four-door hatchbacks from 2004 to 2007.To date, 3517 of the more widely recognised Smart ForTwo cars have been sold in Australia over two model generations.Mercedes-Benz says it will continue to offer service and parts for the Smart cars that have been sold in Australia and that it has a couple of months worth of unsold stock remaining.Mr McCarthy said: “Mercedes-Benz dealers … will continue to provide service and support to the Smart range.” Leaving the door open for its possible return at a later date he added: “Mercedes-Benz Australia will continue to monitor potential Smart brand opportunities in the market.”Ironically, the news of Smart's demise in Australia comes after the company released an all-new model in Europe that addresses the criticisms of the current car, and would likely find broader appeal thanks to its roomier cabin and more car-like driving dynamics. Now it won't make the boat to Australia.Mercedes-Benz says a high proportion of Smart ForTwo buyers in Australia also own one of its $200,000 S-Class limousine flagshipsThe original Smart model was known for its use as a novelty car towing advertising billboards, featured in the DaVinci Code movie as a getaway vehicle, and Mercedes-Benz even commissioned US fashion designer Jeremy Scott to create his dream Smart car, on which he fitted giant wings.The Smart car also attracted wealthy buyers. Mercedes-Benz says a high proportion of Smart ForTwo buyers in Australia also own one of its $200,000 S-Class limousine flagships and use the Smart as a second car.The shutdown of the Smart brand locally is another sign of how cut-throat the Australian new-car market has become.Last year the Opel brand from Germany was axed after just 11 months, while in 2009 the iconic Cadillac brand from the US aborted its launch in Australia at the 11th hour, after dealers had been appointed and cars had been imported.There are more than 60 automotive brands competing for 1.1 million annual sales in Australia – compared to 38 marques in the USA and 46 in western Europe, both of which sell more than 15 times as many cars as Australia.2014: 1082013: 1262012: 1422011: 2362010: 2872009: 3822008: 3302007: 4592006: 7732005: 7992004: 4792003: 255

The inventor of the motor car has re-invented it, with the new Smart ForTwo.

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.

ForTwo is coming up soon and Daimler is testing the two-seater city tiddler while it also develops a stretched four-seat model for the first time.The second-generation ForTwo is more cute and curvy than the first, with engine choices that will include a fully-electric model. The new Smart is also being cloned into the new Renault Twingo, which means a switch to rear-wheel drive for the French bebe. 

Smart will be providing us with our best look yet at its third-generation Fortwo with the unveiling of the Fourjoy concept car at next week’s 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show.The Fourjoy is the latest in a string of concepts that hint at the styling of the next Fortwo and a new Forfour, both of which are under development and due out late next year as 2015 models.It features a number of details from previous show cars that proved popular, such as the square-shaped lights, lightweight construction and minimalist cabin.The honeycomb structure of the air intakes also emphasise the link with previous Smart concepts such as the For-us (2012 Detroit Auto Show) and Forstars (2012 Paris Auto Show).The four-seat configuration, meanwhile, hints directly at the layout planned for the four-door, four-seat Forfour. The original Forfour was built between 2004 and 2006 and only spawned a single generation.The Fourjoy has a length of 3.5m, a width of 2.0m and a height of 1.5m, and the turning circle is just under 9.0m. Driving the rear wheels is an electric motor, rated at 55kW. It draws its power from a 17.6-kW/h lithium-ion battery that takes around 7 hours to charge using an ordinary household power outlet.The concept’s designers are keen to stress some of the more premium features, suggesting that Smart will be repositioning its new Fortwo and Forfour models slightly more upmarket to target the likes of Mini.The signature tridion cell is finished in aluminium and the raised smart lettering milled from more aluminium on the side skirts is a further sign of the top quality. As with the first-generation Fortwo, the rear lights are integrated in the tridion cell, and the lights, both in the front and the rear, all feature LEDs.Inside, there are organic, sculptural shapes reminiscent of modern lounge furniture. The rear of the seats is made of dark chrome, while perforated and smooth surfaces alternate on the vehicle floor. A continuous structure runs down the middle of the vehicle and features a convex surface with touch-sensitive operating functions.As mentioned, the new Smart Fortwo and Forfour go on sale late next year. Underpinning them 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. As for production, the Smart plant in Hambach, France will be responsible for the two-door Fortwo, while the Renault plant in Novo Mesto, Slovenia will be the production base for the Forfour as well as the new Twingo.www.motorauthority.com 

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