Smart Car Blog

We are suckers for environment-friendly cars, but the first time we saw the Smart ForJeremy, another version of the ForTwo, our jaws dropped. The car has wings! And now our jaws dropped not in awe.

I guess that what happens when Smart taps Jeremy Scott who is well-known for his attention-grabbing line of clothes. He has designed for the likes of Katy Perry, Rihanna, , Kanye West, and Lady Gaga and yes his impossible-not-to-see lines are reflected on the Smart ForJeremy.

The Smart ForTwo is not really being marketed for its practicality nor the driving experience it offers but for the green technology it embraces. It is a very outlandish creation and the brand might just want more attention when they hired the fashion designer.

Smart, sorry but this car is just too weird for our taste.

Do you remember riding a boat in the park with those big swan wings? That is how the ForJeremy looks. This will not float through a love tunnel but is ready to cruise on the road as it takes the form of the 74-horsepower of the Smart ForTwo. It can go as fast at 78 miles an hour using a lithium ion battery pack. It has a range of 78 miles when used in an urban setting.

You might also think of the wings on the shoes of the mythological god Mercury. Before we forget, the wings that have been crafted from fiber glass do light up. Yes, just like the shoes you love when you were a kid.

Just like us, you might already be wondering why someone will put some wings to a car. Scott’s design actually are dominated by wings. According to the designer, it symbolizes freedom, just like how the car tries to free the air of harmful gases.

Now, use your hands to cover the wings and you will see a normal Smart ForTwo with 5-spoke chrome rims, and other shiny elements. The shiny treatment continues to the interior of the car. Be careful and do not touch anything or your fingers might burn from all the chrome you will see.

The car, with wings, will roll out next year. On a limited run (and that is the best thing about it.

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The Smart Fortwo, under the umbrella of Daimler, has not made a profit since its birth in 1998. It is still trying to convince consumers to convert into their Smart way of owning and driving a car. The attempt of the company has led to several crashes to a lot of spending. Through the years, electric cars have been making some major strides. The design of the Smart Fortwo cars, for example, is perfect for zig zagging through traffic and parking on tight spaces.

The transition of the American market though to the Smart Fortwo vehicles as forecasted before by experts in Germany. Even young buyers still clamor for vehicles that have more space and carry a good amount of luggage.

The company is currently testing its third generation Electric Drive Smart Fortwo. You cannot see a lot of changes with the exterior but the engine had major revisions. The new Smart Fortwo ride now has a 47-hp cruising output and a max output of around 74 horses compared to the previous generation’s 27 hp and max of 40 hp. The number almost doubled.

The car can accelerate to 60 kilometers an hour in a matter of 4.8 seconds compared to its predecessor that did it in 6.5 seconds.

The new gen Smart Fortwo also dropped the automated transmission that was highly criticized by the press people and consumers. It gets a single-ratio gearbox that smoothly deliver a better accelration in tandem with the electric motor.

The new gen Smart Fortwo ED depends on a 93 lithium ion battery pack made by Li-Tec. The battery is stored under the floor of the vehicle. A single full charge can bring the car up to 90 miles from point A to B. A typical recharging will take an owner around seven hours using a 220 volt outlet with 13 amperes or around six hours when using a plug of 16 amperes. There is no option of a quick charge.

The new vehicle will be formally launched during the auto show in Los Angeles next month. Expect the sticker price to hit the $25,000 mark for the coupe and around $28K for the top down.

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When you see the shape of the Smart ForTwo on the road, you know it is the ForTwo. You cannot mistake it for another car on the US roads as it is the shortest in the market today fitting the engine and two passengers on a very small frame to have the shortest footprint.

Too bad though that the ForTwo did not hit it big in the United States. Part to blame is its gearbox which somehow has an attitude and its low fuel economy than what you want to have for this tiny a car. If you ask someone who has been driving the ForTwo for its fuel mileage, the average you might get is around 60 to 75 miles per gallon. Actually it is just rated at 38 mpg on the highway and 34 mpg on city streets or a combined rating of 36mpg. It does not guzzle much gas but neither is it more practical than better options like the Hyundai Accent and the Kia Rio.

The small car from Smart though has some good points. It has more attitude when compared to a ride which is ten times its price or double its size. You can even get a convertible if you want. If you want to go green all the way, you can get an electric version with an equivalent fuel rating of 87 mpg.

You might need to consider its easy parking ability and the very unique look of the vehicle before you can choose it over more economical, practical, and faster cars. The space for two big adults is actually more than sufficient when you get into a Smart ForTwo but the cargo space is just good some bags of grocery.

The city traffic can be handled with a breeze in a ForTwo cruising on comfortable speed. When you hit the highway, you can go 70 mph and not be too scared although you might have the picture of small wheels in your head while praying that you will not topple over. You also feel the bumps and the ride quality is not for those with back pains. The crash test for the the Smart ForTwo are quite impressive considering its size.

The Smart ForTwo is being pushed to the market as something as an “uncar” and this is the only way you can appreciate it, not as a car but just another means of transport.

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Mercedes-Benz will churn its current lineup ad collaborate closely with Renault to bring the replacement of the small Smart ForTwo to the U.S. soils. Mercedes took over the distribution of the brand last July.

The two-seater vehicle of Smart and the new Twingo of Renault will be sharing a common platform.

The Smart ForTwo will have a replacement by 2014 which will be a result of a collaboration with Renault.

By next year, the ForTwo Electric will be equipped with a lithium ion battery pack sourced from Deutsche Accumotive GmbH which is a Daimlik-Evonik Industries joint venture. The ForTwo Electric will also get a revamped interior.

Smart is expected to roll out a 4-seater by 2015 using the platform that will be implemented on the new ForTwo.

Meanwhile, France based Europcar and Daimler Car2go will be tapping Smart ForTwo vehicles for their car sharing program. Lyon will be joining the car program using twenty Smart commuter cars. Daimler will be designating a 44 square kilometer area where travelers can rent the Smart ForTwo units.

The Lyon Car2Go car sharing program will let members drive the Smart vehicles without requiring them commit to a specific return time and location. The members of the car sharing program will only have to pay depending on the amount of time the car was used. The rentals can be as short as a minute.

The Car2Go program has around 45,000 members sharing around 1,100 vehicles in Canada, the Unite States, and Germany. The on-demand car rental service has been making big strides in cities like Hamburg, Uln, Austin, and Vancouver. Daimler is also getting an extra set of Smart ForTwo for the trial run of Car2Go in San Diego and Amsterdam.

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If you have missed he Bugatti Veyron by Hermes, then you might have another chance of grabbing a designer tweaked car by the British label Boxfresh which worked with a Smart Fortwo tweaked by Brabus for the UK roads. The small ride has 101 horsepower or 31 hp more than the ones in the US and was given a finish similar on a grayish brown shade just like the Dakota Gray Mist by Audi.

The mechanicals of this Smart ForTwo are by Brabus but the interiors speaks of Boxfresh all over even on the center gauge. This Smart Fortwo by Boxfresh though is not for sale but is a preview of what we may see as Boxfresh and Smart collaborates to produce something exciting this year.

As you can see in the pictures, the interior deserves the adjective immaculate. The attention to the smallest details went into man hours for sure.

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Lorinser, a company focused on boosting the engine power and tweaking the exterior of OEM vehicles, has recently turned their attention to the Smart Fortwo making it more efficient and giving it some all-electric function through a plug in conversion.

During the Essen Motor Show, Lorinser rolled out the Smart Fortwo car fitted with the Easybrid conversion. The Easybrid is not exclusively designed to be coupled with the Fortwo but practically to small vehicles with rear drum brakes.

The Easybrid setip consists of a regenerative braking technology, a 30kilowatt electric motor, and lithium ion battery pack. The battery pack is conveniently stored under the car or in the space for the spare tire. The Easybrid practically converts a gasoline or diesel engine car into plug-in hybrid vehicle.

Lorinser estimates the Easybrid to propel the car all electric for around 30 kilometers. The driver though can opt to go all electric, on fuel, or combined. The Smart Fortwo is just the first vehicle to be fitted with the Easybrid but in the future cars like the Fiat 500, Renault Twingo, and VW Polo may offer it as an option.

The company is also looking into a scheme where end users can lease their batteries from energy suppliers through a mobile phone platform. This setup will give way to cheaper conversion costs seen at around 5,000 euros. They are also hoping for government incentives to chop the prices more.

The testing of the system will be through middle of next year with the roll out for market consumption after.

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You may be cruising at high speed with an electric car but you may not really have an idea if you don’t check the speedometer. The silence of the electric engine has been cited as one of its advantage but at the same time it poses as a threat to pedestrians and other motorists. Brabus, the German tuner, came up with an exhaust technology to make Smart For Two ED emit a sound like the “real car”.

Some automotive companies, governments, and Lotus engineering came up with solutions to address the silent engine of the EVs. It is not clear if Brabus uses one of these technologies but clever enough, Brabus makes the EV engines sound like real engine. Car owners can even choose if they want the sound of a small, fuel efficient car or a roar of a muscle tuned car.

The sound of the engine will be generated by a loud speaker placed on the front end of the chassis. The speaker is switched on once the driver steps on the pedal of the EV.

The Smart For Two ED cruises to a top speed of 60 mph and can cover about 70 miles on a single charge. The car takes about 6.5 seconds to be on a 30mph rush. The lithium-ion pack charges fully after eight hours of being plugged.

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In agreement with the Central Parking System, Inc. of New York City, Smart USA Distributor LLC revealed that they are now offering hl-price parking rate for those who owned smart fortwo in Manhattan. With this sensational collaboration, there are now four companies that offers discounted parking rates for owners of Smart Fortwo.

Central Parking System, Inc. is the biggest parking company in the locations of Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan and New Jersey. They had more than 350 parking garages and lots in the mentioned areas and all are giving discounts on parking for the customers owning Smart Fortwo. For the detailed and complete lists of the exact locations of parking in the said areas, you may visit www.centralparking.com.

Dave Schembri, President of Smart USA, said that with this collaboration, they are aiming to give New Yorkers to have the best of their driving experience with the facilitated parking that can be done anywhere in New York, while they attain fuel efficiency, sense of functionality and secured travel.

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Smart USA sold its 20000th Smart ForTwo car in its Dallas Dealership last October 3o. The president of the company in the USA was present to help with the delivery of Patrick Zipper’s, a Dallas resident, new car.

The achievement came earlier than expected since the company is still very young. Smart is just 10 months old in the United States.

Company officials are expecting a further increase in sales by next year despite the dropping gas prices. They believe that there is more to fuel consumption why people purchase their cars. Owning a Smart ForTwo is a lifestyle change according to them.

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