Autoblog

Though Men's Vogue has already attempted to disprove the theory that only women can get away with driving one, it seems that smart has seen the need to dispel some rumors about the fortwo, their little urban runabout. Specifically, many people apparently question how large of a person the smart can easily handle, how safe a car this small could be, how much room there is for stuff and what features the fortwo is equipped with. In all honesty, the smart would probably work for a large percentage of the population of both the U.S. and the U.K., but certainly not for every situation likely to come up in everyday life. As a second car or strictly for commuting, we imagine that the smart would meet the needs of quite a few drivers who would never even consider a vehicle this small.

Just for fun, why not check out the truth about smart here. Even if you hate the car, you may enjoy seeing it mildly-mangled by a wrecking ball.

[Source: the truth about smart]

The IIHS has put the 2008 smart fortwo through its frontal offset crash test, and the video is on YouTube even though the IIHS hasn't released its results yet. For everyone who points out the benefits of the smart's miniscule size, there are a number of others who say they wouldn't want to go up against a normal American car in a smart. Even the NHTSA had some concerns when it tested the fortwo's crashworthiness. Based on the video after the jump, however, it looks like the smart acquits itself quite well with no deformation of the A-pillar and not even a crack in the windshield. We'll have to wait for the IIHS to give its final, official word, however. Sure, we wouldn't want to be driving a smart fortwo in an accident... but that's only because we don't want to be in an accident. Follow the jump to watch the video for yourself.

[Source: YouTube]

Take a smart fortwo, cut it in half just behind the doors, and spend 300 man-hours over the next month adding nearly nine more feet to the vehicle's length. The result is the world's first smart fortwo "limo" that is about as long as a Mercedes-Benz S-Class! The images show a prototype model from Carbonyte, a UK limo specialty company, that was designed as a promotional vehicle (we see more than just a little resemblance to a popular energy-drink company). As expected with a custom fabrication, the customer can choose his or her own design, seating capacity, and intended use (if you have the need, Carbonyte is looking into creating a electric fortwo hearse). We know what you are thinking. Adding all this mass to a smart must slow the fortwo to a crawl. Right? Well, Carbonyte claims the original 600cc engine can still propel the contraption to a blistering 80 mph. Maybe so, but not with us in it.

Carbonyte's press release is posted below the fold.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the smart fortwo.

Roger Penske, the CEO of the company's namesake and the sole importer of the smart brand into the U.S., says that with demand at its current level, dealers could offload 40,000 fortwos to customers this year. The only problem: the U.S. market is only getting 25,000.

Penske is currently talking with Mercedes-Benz, smart's parent company, to see if it can ship more fortwos Stateside in the coming months, but that looks unlikely considering that the smart factory is running at full bore for the year.

Smart expects to sell 3,000 fortwos in the first quarter of this year through the 67 dealers (mainly Mercedes-Benz dealerships that have bought a franchise) currently in the U.S. That number is expected to increase to 74 by the end of the year. Although pre-order cancellation numbers haven't been officially released, some dealers are anticipating that around 25-percent of potential buyers that put down the required $99 deposit might opt out of the diminutive coupe. Thankfully, smart dealers in the U.S. have agreed not to mark up the cars at the risk of losing their franchise, according to the president of smart USA, David Schembri.


[Source: Autoweek]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Chevrolet Beat Concept.

Aside from possibly offering a hybrid version of the Camaro, Chevrolet is looking to do everything it can to meet new fuel economy regulations. Despite Bob Lutz' assertion that diesels are not the answer to increase fuel mileage, Ed Peper, Chevy's general manager, pointed out that GM's European diesel technology could find its way here to the States. The 2.9-liter turbodiesel V6 soon to be equipped in Euro-bound Cadillac CTSs is one possibility, as is the utilization of Opel's 1.3-, 1.7- and 1.9-liter oil burners.

Chevrolet execs are also looking to see how the public responds to the smart fortwo. If the reception is good, there's a possibility that Chevy might introduce a vehicle that would slot in below the Aveo both in size and price. A version of the Beat would be an obvious choice, even though GM only plans to sell it outside of the U.S. and Canada.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Click above to see how "teen-friendly" the smart fortwo is.

We all know what teenagers do in the back seats of cars, don't we? Since the smart fortwo only comes with two seats, it's something that any parent will never have to worry about. And Dave Schembri, SmartUSA president, wanted to put everyone's fears to rest when he said, "After all, what better car to have for your teenager than one without a backseat."

But Schembri was actually talking about the far more dangerous backseat activity for teens: distracting the drivers in the front seats. (I don't know what else you might have been thinking). Since more than one accident has been caused by a rowdy -- or just plain distracting -- group of kids on the rear bench, it's another thing fortwo drivers won't have to worry about on the commute.

[Source: The Car Connection]

With all the hype surrounding the imminent sale of smart fortwos beginning next month here in the U.S., we overlooked a line on the smart's website that may hint at some hotted-up versions of the diminutive coupe. Although the model will initially be introduced with 1.0-liter three-pot, "Other engine types and sizes (including BRABUS) may become available in the next few years though no specific timeline has been outlined." What size engines they're referring to is up in the air, but if smart begins selling factory-authorized Brabus accessories – particularly the tuner's engine packages – it might open up a whole other demographic to the smart's growing fan base.

[Source: smart USA]

click above image for more pics of the US-spec smart fortwo

Daimler exec extraordinaire, Dieter Zetsche, sat down with reporters for a breakfast meeting earlier today and discussed the future of the smart brand here in the States. As we're well aware, over 30,000 consumers have put down deposits for the smart before it comes to market next month, and according to Dr. Z, demand will exceed the number of smarts destined for U.S. shores. At the same time, however, he didn't want to give exact figures on how many smarts Daimler expects to sell in 2008.

The talks also centered on the future of smart in the States, including the possibility of diesel-powered fortwos and the testing of a fleet of all-electric smarts in an unnamed urban city, similar to a program in London.

Daimler has 65 dealerships lined up to sell smarts in the U.S., with another nine due to go live before the end of next year. Thirty-three of the stores will be "co-located" within existing Mercedes-Benz franchises, which is similar to how BMW originally launched the MINI brand across the globe.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req'd]

Daimler's not taking the close resemblance of a Chinese minicar to a smart fortwo lightly. The German automaker has gotten a court order forbidding Martin Motors, the European distributor for China's Shuanghuan Automobile, from displaying the Shuanghuan Noble at the upcoming Bologna Auto Show. This is the second time Daimler has blocked the Noble from being displayed, having taken similar action at the Frankfurt show.

Martin Motors is calling the Noble the Bubble in Europe, since there's already another Noble. Martin contends that the Bubble is not a copy of the fortwo, citing the four seats and front engine configuration among the differentiating details. Martin Motors has also demanded in Italian courts that Daimler prove its exclusive rights to the design of the smart. If a resolution can be reached, the Bubble will go on sale for about $10,000 euros across Europe. The resemblance is striking, but copying the look isn't the same as cribbing the underlying engineering. We haven't had the opportunity to crawl over, under, or through the Bubble, so we can't comment on whether it's better or worse than the smart, but from the looks of things in the video we've posted after the jump, the Bubble is hardly a premium vehicle. Shuanghuan also sells the CEO, a midsize SUV that borrows an awful lot from the BMW X5's looks. The appearance similarities between Shuanghuan's vehicles and those of well respected competitors may not help the Chinese automaker avoid having its European sales bubble burst.

Check the jump to see a video of the Noble/Bubble in action.

More shots from Autoblog China.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Lorinser has been tuning anything with a Benz badge for a while, so when it came to injecting the new smart fortwo with a bit more aftermarket flava, they were all too happy to oblige.

Beginning with the exterior "enhancements," Lorinser opted for the firm's usual dose of gaudy sportification, with a new front clip including a larger air dam, a new rear bumper for the four (?!) chrome exhaust tips and wheel arch flares that house wider tires and wheels all around. The chrome treatment is carried inside, along with some brushed aluminum accents and new dash surrounds for the stereo and sat nav.

Lorinser's treatment isn't just skin-deep thankfully, as they've given buyers who've chosen any one of the three available powerplants upgraded performance. The 60 HP model gets a bump in output to 70 HP, while the 71 HP model gets an increase to 76 HP and the top-o'-the-line 82 HP model now tops out at 102 HP, able to reach 62 in 10 seconds and on to a scorning top speed of 112 MPH. Hot stuff, but you'd think they could do something about that horrendous antenna while they were at it.

[Source: World Car Fans]