Little Daimler Child Finally Nails It With Electrons Since the official launch of the Smart Fortwo in October 1998, the little company within Daimler has never made a profit. Far from it. Not for lack of trying, certainly. Many of us know well the story of myriad attempts to force the world to adopt the Smart way of living in the automotive sense, only to have the various chapters conclude in a disillusioning crash and financial burn. Smart is still trying desperately to find its proper path as a global player that sells rather well – and not just in London and a few Italian ... Read More

Vital Stats

Engine:: Electric Magneto Motor
Power:: 74 hp; 96 lb-ft of torque
Transmission:: Single Gear
MSRP:: $25,000 (base)

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Official: Smart shows production version of winged ForJeremy [w/video] 1366588860

The SmartForJeremy is a reality, a limited run of the haute couture Smart Fortwo being announced at the Shanghai Motor Show. It has been toned down for production since we first saw it at last year's LA Auto Show but its signature flourish, the wings, remain. Instead of replacing the brake lights, though, a smaller set of red-accented wings sit above ...
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Smart Fortwo ED will have battery rental option in US, price not yet disclosed 1365804900

Next month, Smart USA will launch the first US market electric vehicle with a separate rental program for the battery pack. Those buying or leasing the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive will have the option of renting the lithium ion battery for a monthly fee. The US base price for the Smart Fortwo ED is $25,750, including shipping. The battery is covered ...
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Car2go adds airport parking to carsharing deal in Austin 1365602460

A carsharing company has started up a new service designed to take some of the hassles out of air travel. Daimler subsidiary Car2go has added a partnership in Austin, TX, with The Parking Spot, a leading near-airport parking company. The new partnership allows Car2go members to park their Smart Fortwo vehicles at The Parking Sport, located next to ...
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Smart, BoConcept offer tiny solution to crowded streets, tight living spaces 1361999280

Urban life is getting trickier all the time. In almost ever city, usable space gets more and more limited even as the amount of cars and traffic congestion grows. Ever the poster child for urban personal transportation, Daimler's Smart brand is one again thinking up a solution, this time working with Danish urban interior design specialist BoConcept to ...
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Smart ForFour, Renault Twingo going rear-wheel drive on same platform 1360941300

The alliance between Smart parent Daimler and Renault-Nissan is getting stronger with word that the companies' ForFour and Twingo urban minicars will share a rear-wheel drive platform. A three-year-old collaboration agreement has Renault-Nissan producing gasoline and electric versions of the ForFour alongside the similarly sized Twingo at the factory in ...

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Spy Shots: Smart ForFour prototype spotted alongside next-gen ForTwo 1360679400

Smart is continuing to test its upcoming ForFour (seen above) model and the replacement for the ForTwo (pictured at the right), this time doing some cold-weather work in Sweden. As we've reported previously, the ForFour is an all-new vehicle, and it will have more in common with the smaller ForTwo than the short-lived last model that was co-developed ...
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Smart ED could be first with battery lease in US; electric scooter, bike under discussion, too 1359419220

Smart made a splash last fall with the announcement that the base price of the all-electric Fortwo Electric Drive would be $25,000, making it the cheapest EV in the US. After getting a lot of attention with that number, Smart has been communicating with potential customers to make sure that the launch this spring (no date has yet been set) will be exactly ...
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Scrap Car, Plant Tree is "Copse for Clunkers" plan in UK 1358720880

For consumers coming to terms with years of driving a gas-guzzling, carbon-producing clunker car, there is a solution – trade it in for fresh, young saplings. That's the premise for a program in the United Kingdom, where owners can turn in their gas guzzler and have tree groves planted in return. "Scrap Car, Plant Tree" is run by the UK nonprofit ...
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Smart readies Fortwo Cityflame special edition for Detroit 1358085600

There's nothing cowardly about the yellow Smart Fortwo being introduced at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. Why the bright color? Daimler says it's in response to both trends in car colors and customer demand for more personalization on the city car's higher-end Passion trim level. The newest Smart edition has been christened Cityflame. It features eye-popping ...
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Renault, Smart deal down the drain? 1357650180

Two years after announcing they would develop a new generation of the Smart Fortwo together, sharing drivetrain and platform technology, Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and Renault have reportedly cut the cord, and Smart will go it alone. According to Britain's Car Magazine, the move was prompted by Renault in order to help trim an R&D budget inflated ...