The second generation of the smart fortwo has been on the market since the
spring of 2007. It clearly continues the tradition of its predecessor and
the fascinating smart story. The car continues to focus on the core brand
values of innovation, functionality and joie de vivre - a kind of declaration
of automotive independence for many smart drivers. Anders Sundt Jensen,
responsible for the smart brand says "The new fortwo is even more comfortable,
agile, safe and environmentally friendly than its successful predecessor
was. The new fortwo does not only appeal to smart fans as a lifestyle-oriented
vehicle, but also on account of its unparalleled economy."
A trend-setting appearance with new ideas
The smart fortwo embodies a completely new, intelligent concept for automotive
individuality and this is also reflected in its appearance with a fresh,
young, modern yet sophisticated design language. And although there were
no automotive role models that the designers could have referred to, the
two-seater set visual trends and created its own class thanks to a whole
host of unusual ideas. In the past ten years the smart has become an automotive
icon and it combines extremely varied demands on function, aesthetics and
safety technology to create something completely new. The result is a bold
design that confidently makes structural elements such as the tridion safety
cell a significant part of the car's styling. There could hardly be a more
eloquent expression of that most basic principle of design, that form must
follow function. A further feature is the mix of materials consistently realised
in a production vehicle for the first time with a hard core (tridion) and
a flexible and functional shell consisting of thermoplastic bodypanels. In
this way smart sets new trends and its shape alone gives it a likeable appearance
whilst still being taken seriously.
Safety - a hard shell for the passengers
The smart fortwo is seen as a real trendsetter in terms of safety equipment
in small cars. The tridion safety cell protects its occupants like the hard
shell around a nut. In this way it also meets the extremely strict standards
of Mercedes-Benz Cars. Moreover, it complies with American crash requirements
and attained top ratings in US-SINCAP and EuroNCAP (four stars). The basic
equipment of the smart fortwo includes full-size airbags for driver and
passenger, belt tensioners and belt-force limiters. Head/thorax side airbags
are available as an option. esp® also comes as standard. This is not
even available for an additional charge in many other small cars. The esp®
includes hill-start assist and the anti-lock braking system abs. A hydraulic
brake assist function is also part of the standard specification.
User-friendly gear shifting as a standard
feature
The smart fortwo is fitted with an automated manual five-speed transmission
(softip) as a standard feature. This means that there is no clutch pedal.
To shift up a gear, the shift lever on the centre console merely requires
a brief tap forwards, while pulling it back shifts down a gear. The passion
version features the softouch automatic gear programme as standard, which
enables the driver to switch from manual gear shifting (softip) to an automatic
gear programme (softouch) by pressing a button on the gear knob. Steering
wheel gearshift is available as an optional extra.
The diesel version of the smart is the current
CO2 champion
State-of-the-art compact three-cylinder petrol engines with a capacity of
999 cc are installed at the rear of the smart fortwo. In Western Europe customers
can currently choose from two naturally aspirated engine versions with mhd
(micro hybrid drive) technology delivering 45 or 52 kW (61/71 hp) respectively,
and a turbo engine rated at 62 kW (84 hp). A three-cylinder turbo engine
is also at the heart of the 72 kW (98 hp) smart fortwo BRABUS. In addition,
a diesel variant is available - the smart fortwo cdi - which is the world
champion in low CO2 emissions. The 33 kW/45 hp two-seater car consumes just
3.3 litres of fuel (NEDC) per 100 kilometres on average, which means that
it can travel approximately 1000 kilometres without refuelling. This was
confirmed by the Italian car magazine "Quattroruote" with a 1,000km drive
from Rome to Salzburg. At just 88 grams per kilometre it has the lowest CO2
emissions worldwide! In addition, to further reduce petrol engine CO2 emissions,
the smart fortwo mhd (micro hybrid drive) with an intelligent start/stop
system and a 52 kW/71 hp engine has been available to customers in Europe
since the autumn of 2007. This version automatically shuts down the engine
as soon as the car's speed falls below 8 km/h and the brake pedal is pressed.
The engine starts again as soon as the driver releases the brake pedal. The
standard consumption is reduced by approximately 0.4 litres - from 4.7 litres
to around 4.3 litres per 100 kilometres. Average CO2 emissions are reduced
from 112 grams to 103 grams per kilometre. From October 2008 both the 52
kW/71 hp smart fortwo and the petrol version with a 45 kW/61 hp engine will
be fitted with the user-friendly start/stop system as standard. At the end
of 2007 smart started a pilot project in London with the smart fortwo electric
drive. Together with selected fleet customers start is testing 100 vehicles
with electric drive there to gain real-world experience. Vehicles with electric
drive are particularly quiet, highly efficient and produce no local emissions.
As a zero-emission car the smart fortwo electric drive enjoys tax advantages
and is exempt from local restrictions such as the congestion charge that
applies in the British capital. This makes it a particularly interesting
and environmentally friendly alternative in urban population centres. Series
production of an electrically driven smart of the current generation with
lithium-ion battery technology is planned for 2010. Lithium-ion technology
has decisive advantages over other types of batteries, including extremely
compact dimensions, much higher performance, a long life and high reliability.
Award-winning climate friendliness and
economy
Protection of the environment is an integral part of all the fields of activity
of the smart brand. This does not only apply to the production facility in
Hambach, France - it also applies to the smart fortwo itself, from the
development and production of the vehicle to its operational period and later
recycling. The internationally renowned Öko-Trend environmental institute
has acknowledged the smart fortwo's top position in matters relating to
environmental friendliness and awarded it the coveted environmental certificate
for cars. Moreover, the smart fortwo has been awarded the ÖkoGlobe by
one of Germany's largest insurance companies. What's more, several renowned
trade journals have certified the innovative two-seater's unparalleled economy
and environmental friendliness. They came to the unanimous conclusion
independently of one another: no car is cheaper to drive.
Production - European model plant in
Hambach
The smart fortwo is produced in a purpose-built plant in the French town
of Hambach - a clear commitment to Europe as a production location. The smart
plant, also called "smartville", started production in 1997. System partners
located on site supply partly prefabricated modules straight to the assembly
line. In some cases they fit their prefabricated modules in the smart themselves.
This has enabled transport and logistics costs to be reduced to a minimum.
Flexibility, just-in-time and minimum delivery times at all levels are among
the exemplary aspects of the process. This enables the smart fortwo to be
assembled in only about three hours.
Success story - ten years of the smart
fortwo
 As early as the early 1970s developers at Mercedes-Benz
started working on the "car of the future" and considering new revolutionary
approaches that eventually led to the concept of an ultra-compact car two
and a half metres long. Several years passed until the pioneering safety
concept was developed that allowed the high level of safety typical of Mercedes
to be realised in an extremely short car. In 1989 Nicolas G. Hayek, the inventor
of the Swatch watch, announced plans to launch a small city car on the market.
To realise this idea Nicolas Hayek turned to Mercedes-Benz as an experienced
partner. Together, both partners founded Micro Compact Car AG with headquarters
in Biel, Switzerland. Finally, in 1997 the smart city coupé celebrated
its world premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. Production
and sales started in 1998. In the same year, smart became a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Daimler-Benz AG (now Daimler AG). |
Further models and series
In the following years the smart brand launched the sports cars smart roadster
and smart roadster-coupé (2003) and the four-seater smart forfour
(2004) on the market. Following the decision to stop production of the smart
roadster at the end of 2005 and of the smart forfour mid 2006, smart fully
concentrated on the smart fortwo. The innovative car brand has demonstrated
its creative energy time and again with special vehicle models. These include
the smart crossblade in 2002 that had neither doors, a roof nor a windscreen,
and the smart crosstown show car in 2005 which was equipped with forward-looking
hybrid drive. Ten years after the first pilot production vehicles rolled
off the production line, in 2007 the new smart fortwo was launched on the
market. This model builds on the strengths of the visionary classic and further
develops its virtues.
Already a classic
It is undisputed that the smart fortwo's unique character has already made
it an automotive classic, despite its young years. In 2002 the smart fortwo
was the only vehicle to be included in the permanent collection of the
world-famous Museum of Modern Art in New York whilst still in series production
as a "contemporary design classic of the last decade of the last century". |
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This extremely compact vehicle had just two seats
and measured slightly more than two and a half metres in length. It was also
able to fit into parking spaces perpendicular to the flow of traffic and
it established its own class. Nevertheless, it took two people and their
luggage to their destination very comfortably and with maximum safety. It
also had impressively low fuel consumption and minimum carbon dioxide emissions.
Even then it anticipated many of today's pressing questions concerning individual
mobility and answered them in a unique way. After ten years of production
one thing is certain: the idea has caught on. Thanks to technical innovations
and a design that combines functionality with joie de vivre, the smart fortwo
has become a cult car. After ten years on the market the smart fortwo can
be proud of its achievements. Since the first model was introduced in 1998
in excess of one million have been produced. Whereas the smart fortwo was
initially only offered for sale in Germany and eight further European countries,
today it is available in 37 countries worldwide, since January 2008 also
in the USA. From mid 2009 the smart fortwo will also go on sale in China
as the car is practically tailor-made for the growing number of
lifestyle-oriented small car customers in a country with numerous megacities.
In China, too, fashion-conscious young people want an agile, trendy vehicle
for their flexible urban lifestyles in order to set themselves apart from
others. Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars
says "In China we are seeing growing interest from customers in our high-quality
and low consumption smart fortwo. I am sure that many cosmopolitan customers
in China's cities will soon come to love its unique concept. For in addition
to its outstanding safety equipment and the typical design, the fortwo naturally
also boasts top quality and reliability."