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We got a tip from Autoblog reader Cary about the delightful possibility of a Smart ForTwo in the U.S. with Mercedes' Bluetec technology. Cary writes:
Yesterday, I spotted a ForTwo on the 5 freeway south in Orange County, intrigued by the fact that they have already been released and this one was still wrapped in the typical camo vinyl, I decided to follow it. After following the car back to Mercedes-Benz of Laguna Niguel, I got to speak to the driver. And what I heard was music to my ears. The ForTwo will come in Blu - Blutec that is, according to a MBUSA R&D employee I spoke to at MB Laguna Niguel yesterday. I'll quote him on this, "Expect between 55 and 65 mpg around town and 70+mpg on the highway." He said they were testing with low rolling resistance tires. Best part of all, it will exceed Tier II BIN 5 standards without the use of urea injection found in the upcoming Bluetec diesel SUVs by MB. He was also able to tell me the engine has been developed in-house.
Well, we needed to get some clarification on this Smart Bluetec rumor, so we called Smart's communication director Ken Kettenbeil (we last spoke to him at the Detroit Auto Show in 2007 talking about the availability of the ForTwo in America) for some more info and we got a big wet blanket. Kettenbeil said that there is nothing official to say on a Bluetec Smart ForTwo. He did say that Mercedes-Benz is looking at electric, micro-hybrid and diesel technology for Smart ForTwos in the U.S., but we'll just have to wait to see if these possibilities move beyond the looking stage. Thanks for the tip, Cary!
We got a tip from Autoblog reader Cary about the delightful possibility of a Smart ForTwo in the U.S. with Mercedes' Bluetec technology. Cary writes:
Yesterday, I spotted a ForTwo on the 5 freeway south in Orange County, intrigued by the fact that they have already been released and this one was still wrapped in the typical camo vinyl, I decided to follow it. After following the car back to Mercedes-Benz of Laguna Niguel, I got to speak to the driver. And what I heard was music to my ears. The ForTwo will come in Blu - Blutec that is, according to a MBUSA R&D employee I spoke to at MB Laguna Niguel yesterday. I'll quote him on this, "Expect between 55 and 65 mpg around town and 70+mpg on the highway." He said they were testing with low rolling resistance tires. Best part of all, it will exceed Tier II BIN 5 standards without the use of urea injection found in the upcoming Bluetec diesel SUVs by MB. He was also able to tell me the engine has been developed in-house.
Well, we needed to get some clarification on this Smart Bluetec rumor, so we called Smart's communication director Ken Kettenbeil (we last spoke to him at the Detroit Auto Show in 2007 talking about the availability of the ForTwo in America) for some more info and we got a big wet blanket. Kettenbeil said that there is nothing official to say on a Bluetec Smart ForTwo. He did say that Mercedes-Benz is looking at electric, micro-hybrid and diesel technology for Smart ForTwos in the U.S., but we'll just have to wait to see if these possibilities move beyond the looking stage. Thanks for the tip, Cary!
[Source: Smart]
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