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). Ten years ago a car started
to change our focus and our way of thinking and feeling: the smart. The name
is a reference to the car's intelligence and attractiveness and the smart
city coupé, later renamed smart fortwo, lived up to its name. It was
new and excitingly different to conventional cars. This is because it was
available solely as a two-seater - an extremely compact car barely longer
than two and a half metres that could also fit in a parking space perpendicular
to the flow of traffic if necessary. In addition, the smart was characterised
by a new, sophisticated design language and showed that even a small car
can be attractive, safe and grown-up. Even then the two-seater smart provided
a unique answer to many questions concerning individual urban mobility. For
not only does it take up very little road and parking space, it also boasts
impressively low fuel consumption and minimum carbon dioxide emissions.
Nevertheless, it transports two people and their luggage to their destination
very comfortably and with maximum safety.
smart - a passionately discussed idea
When sales of one of the world's most unusual production cars started in
October 1998, the newcomer that was at variance with many prevalent ideas
of how a car should be, immediately became a subject of passionate, and often
controversial, discussion. Now, ten years later, the smart idea has long
since taken hold. The intelligent two-seater has become a cult car. The weekly
journal "Die Zeit" called the vehicle concept an "urban icon". The smart
consistently implements technical innovations for the mobility of the future
and also uses constructional details as design features.
smart stands for innovation, functionality and
joie de vivre
As one of the youngest car makes, smart stands for innovation, functionality
and joie de vivre. smart especially appeals to customers who seek new,
intelligent and trend-setting solutions in the automotive sector. smart fortwo
drivers can be categorized in terms of their attitude rather than their age,
profession or gender. They are open-minded individuals who question the status
quo and live life consciously. They opt for a smart fortwo because it is
something special and because it sets them apart from the masses. And also
because it is quite simply fun to drive.
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. 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.
Concentration on the smart fortwo
Following the decision to stop production of the smart roadster at the end
of 2005 and of the smart forfour mid 2006, everything concentrated on the
smart fortwo. 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. Since 2007 smart has been fully integrated in the
organisation of the Daimler business division Mercedes-Benz Cars, which also
comprises the Mercedes-Benz, Maybach and AMG brands in addition to smart.
Already a classic
It is undisputed that the smart fortwo's unique character already makes it
an automotive classic, despite its young years. As early as 2002 a 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".
More than one million vehicles produced - the
international cult car has become firmly established
After ten years on the market the smart fortwo can be proud of its achievements.
Since the first model was launched in 1998, more than a million two-seater
smarts 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.
The second generation continues the success
story
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. Unusual ideas gave the
two-seater its trend-setting appearance and enabled it to establish its own
class. 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 with 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 the smart fortwo meets the extremely strict
standards of Mercedes-Benz Cars. Furthermore, it complies with the requirements
of Euro-NCAP and US crash regulations. 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; in many other small cars this is not even
available for an additional charge. The esp® includes hill-start assist
and the anti-lock braking system abs. A hydraulic brake assist function is
also included in the standard spec.
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 bhp) respectively,
and a supercharged turbo engine rated at 62 kW (84 bhp). A 72 kW (98 bhp)
three-cylinder turbo engine is also at the heart of the 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 bhp 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 has been confirmed by the Italian car magazine "Quattroruote" which
conducted a fuel consumption test over 1000 km between Rome and Salzburg.
At just 88 grams per kilometre the smart fortwo cdi has the lowest CO2 emissions
of a production car worldwide! To further reduce the CO2 emissions of the
petrol-driven models, both the 45 kW/61 bhp and the 52 kW/71 bhp smart fortwo
variant come with mhd (micro hybrid drive) as standard in Europe. This
intelligent and user-friendly start/stop system 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. This further reduces the standard consumption and the average CO2
emissions.
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 vehicle's operational
period, but also to its development, production 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 other car is as cheap to run! |
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In future, the advantages of the smart fortwo electric
drive, which produces no local emissions, will be demonstrated in everyday
service in the project "e-mobility Berlin" which Daimler AG presented together
with the energy provider RWE at the beginning of September 2008. This project
underlines the pioneering role of the young car brand in developing
environmentally friendly and sustainable concepts for the individual mobility
of the future. The current models already boast low fuel consumption and
minimum carbon dioxide emissions. The smart model range includes the CO2
world champion, the smart fortwo cdi, with CO2 emissions of just 88 g/km
- the lowest figure of any production car worldwide. Moreover, since October
2008 the two petrol smart fortwo models with 52 kW/71 bhp and 45 kW/61 bhp
engines have been equipped with an intelligent and user-friendly start/stop
system which further reduces their fuel consumption. The two-seater car is
celebrating its tenth anniversary this year and its unique concept has now
become firmly established. Thanks to new ideas and a design that combines
functionality with joie de vivre, the smart fortwo has become a cult car.
Since the launch of the first model in 1998, more than a million models of
the two-seater car have been produced. Today it is on sale in 37 countries
around the world - including the USA since January 2008. From mid 2009 the
smart fortwo will also be available in China. The smart fortwo therefore
already has an impressive track record on its way to a green future. Since
1998 economical cars from smart have offered innovative solutions to the
great challenge of our time: how can individual mobility be made environ-mentally
sound and sustainable in future? The latest generation smart fortwo electric
drive provides a new possible answer to this question as electric drive is
quiet, highly efficient and produces no local emissions.
At the end of 2007 smart leased 100 electric smarts
of the old series to be used in a pilot project in London in order to gain
real-world experience with electric drive. Customers gave very encouraging
feedback on the zero emission cars that were still equipped with conventional
batteries. And the authorities in the English capital reward this commitment
to electricity by exempting drivers of electric smarts from the expensive
London congestion charge.
Daimler AG, the parent company of the cult smart
brand, has been working hard to develop solutions for the important challenges
presented by battery electric driven cars for years. These are the range
and charging times, but also the charging station infrastructure, the additional
energy requirement and, of course, the costs. smart is presenting important
solutions in Berlin. The latest smart fortwo ed series will be equipped with
state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion technology has decisive
advantages over other types of batteries, including extremely compact dimensions,
much higher performance, shorter charging times, a long life and high
reliability. Moreover, an "on-board unit" is being developed for the project
"e-mobility Berlin" which communicates with the charging station. Among other
things, this will contribute to ensuring that the battery is automatically
charged with low-priced electricity when the network is not used to full
capacity, for example at off-peak times. Or when more electricity is available
from alternative energy sources than is needed at this point in time. This
benefits the environment and offers customers real savings. The development
and tuning of the components needed are already well underway. At the beginning
of next year the system will initially undergo internal testing and optimisation.
Small series production of the electric two-seater will start at the end
of 2009 and smart will then deliver the first vehicles to selected customers.