Everything about Smart Automobile totally explained
Smart GmbH (formerly MCC Smart GmbH) is a manufacturer of
microcars and
superminis of
Daimler AG based in
Böblingen,
Germany, produced in
Hambach (France). It is marketed as the "smart" in all lower case, as in the logo. The current Smart brand logo denotes part of a circle representing the wheel and an arrow for "forward thinking".
Company history
The idea behind the "Smart car" was to create a vehicle easy to park and short enough to allow "nose-in" parking. Its length of would equal the width of a regular parking slot, allowing two or three Smarts to park in the space as one normal car.
The project, started by Swiss watch manufacturer
Swatch, was nicknamed the "Swatchmobile". The name Smart is an
acronym for
Swatch Mercedes ART. Intended to use innovative features (such as a
hybrid engine) and be affordable for young people, the Smart had similar design objective to the
Citroën 2CV of the
1940s.
Swatch CEO
Nicolas Hayek sought an established car maker to produce his Swatch car. After
General Motors reviewed and rejected the project as potentially unprofitable, Hayek found a partner in
Volkswagen. Due to VW's own financial weakness at the time, plans never reached a final stage so Swatch teamed up with
Daimler-Benz. The purpose-built factory complex
Smartville in
Hambach,
France, was established in 1994 as a joint-venture of
Daimler-Benz and
Swatch.
An Australian dealer web site provides the following summary of the beginnings of the product:
"How everything began: In 1993 Mercedes-Benz started a feasibility study on a subcompact car. Together with the Swatch Group Ltd. they founded the Micro Compact Car AG in 1994. The Smart city-coupé celebrates its world première at the IAA in Frankfurt (Germany) in 1997 and is one year successfully launched in nine European countries. By now, the Smart is available in 25 countries all over the world and was sold over 750,000 times."
The final car design proved to be far from Hayek's expectations: its engine eco-technology was outside of Mercedes' goal. The joint venture experienced heavy losses and dispute then Swatch pulled out.
In
2005, DaimlerChrysler decided against purchasing a 50% share in the Dutch
NedCar plant used to manufacture the
Forfour supermini. DC also halted development on the
Formore and decided to discontinue production of the
Roadster.
In
2006, after dwindling sales, Smart GmbH was liquidated and its operations were absorbed within the Mercedes-Benz automobile group. It was later revealed that Smart GmbH lost nearly 4 billion euros from 2003 to 2006.
(External Link
)
In the same year, DaimlerChrysler announced that it would also cancel the Forfour and redesign the
Fortwo to debut in Europe in 2007.
Electric version
An
electric, rechargeable version is being released in the UK, by a separate company, as a
lease vehicle on a limited basis. At the Smart Car Brooklands event in July 1998, a Smart EV was on display within "MercedesWorld" and a representative stated that the car would be for sale in the UK in 2001
.
Models
Apart from the original short
Smart Fortwo, a sporty
Smart Roadster, an unlimited production of 2000 concept
Smart Crosstown and a
supermini Smart Forfour were also offered. These have now been discontinued. There were also plans to introduce a Brazilian-made
cross-over based on the body of the ForFour and the
AWD hardware of the Mercedes C-class with the name of
Formore but industrialization of this was cancelled at the 11th hour (even as tooling was being installed in the assembly plant) due to unfavourable exchange rate swings and spending cutbacks driven by losses elsewhere within smart.
Smart in Asia
Japan
Older Smart cars equipped with engine sizes smaller than 660cc fit into the
Kei car category of cars in
Japan, and are eligible for a range of lower taxes. However, recent models with a larger engine don't meet the Kei qualifications. Because of high taxation on older cars in Japan, many older used Smart cars are exported to other countries with
Right-hand drive, like
Great Britain and
South Africa; these are also called
grey imports.
Taiwan
A number of Smart car dealers can be found in Taipei.
Smart in North America
Canada
The
Smart Fortwo was introduced in
Canada in late 2004 and was sold through
Mercedes-Benz dealers. Demand has been heavy with up to 6-month waiting lists in major urban areas in the spring of 2005. The vehicle has been especially popular for light errand running for small shops and businesses, with many carrying custom paint jobs or stick-on graphics boldly advertising the associated product or service. However, recently the demand seems to have tapered off, and some 2005 Smart Fortwos have popped up in the used car market. Canadian Smart CDIs can't be registered in the US.
As of
June 1 2007, 9,200 Smart fortwo cdis had been sold in
Canada, and as of the end of the model 450 production run, 10,241 of these cars were in this country. This large stock is because as the model 450 ended production, after a run of 770,256 cars, Mercedes-Benz Canada built-up stock to tide dealers over until the successor model 450 arrived at the end of 2007.
The Canadian version of the Smart fortwo cdi sold to 915 customers over three months in 2004; 4080 were sold in 2005; and 3023 in 2006. Virtually all the deliveries in 2004 and many of the deliveries in 2005 were to long-time Smart fans who had been waiting for their car for years, which largely accounts for the higher numbers. Although sales tapered off in late 2006 and the first couple of months of 2007, they rebounded strongly in March 2007 and this trend continued through April, culminating with May 2007, marking the car's strongest sales performance ever in Canada, at well over 500 units. Sales are strongest (per capita) in Western Canada, with Vancouver Island and Vancouver being especially hot markets for Smart.
The 2007 Smart fortwo model 451 saw an engine displacement increase to 1 full litre up from 700 cc with the attendant loss of fuel economy. Sales of the diesel engine was restricted in certain markets in favor of the Mitsubishi gasoline unit. Currently, in North America, Smarts are sold with the larger gas engine in the US and Canada, with the smaller, more fuel efficient diesel being sold in Mexico, Europe and other World markets.
United States
Before 2008, Smart cars were only available in the United States as "
grey market" imports, such as
ZAP. U.S. federal regulations allow certain grey market importing in large quantities provided the vehicles are modified and tested to conform to U.S. safety and emissions regulations. Smart cars were imported into the
United States by "The Defiance Company LLC," modified by G&K Automotive Conversion, and distributed and sold by independent dealerships which were not affiliated with Mercedes. U.S. regulations didn't permit the purchase and import of used Smart CDi vehicles from Canada, as the diesel powered Canadian Smarts didn't meet American emissions regulations.
In June 2006, DaimlerChrysler confirmed that Smart would be officially launched in the
United States in the first quarter of 2008. The cars are offered through a dealership holding company
Penske Automotive Group, which created a new U.S. dealership network for the brand under the name Smart USA. Initially, an updated gasoline powered
Fortwo was offered, starting around US$12,000. The new model made its debut at European auto shows in November 2006.
"Hybrid Technologies" plans to sell an electric version of the Smart vehicle in the U.S. starting at
US$35,000. It is being called a
hybrid car even though the vehicle is all-electric. The electric Smart car will have a range of to, a top speed of, and charge in 5 to 6 hours using a standard 110V AC outlet. An electric Smart is currently undergoing testing in the UK and will only be offered to commercial clients as a trial for the time being.
The unique design of the Smart has received much attention in the U.S. In its April issue,
Men's Vogue raised the question: in a nation where your supersized car is your castle, is the Smart too mini for a man?
Mexico
Smart offers the hardtop and convertible models of the
Fortwo coupé in
Mexico.
Criticism
A
Forbes article has been critical of the stated reasons that Daimler-Chrysler gave for introducing the car in the United States. According to the EPA, fuel efficiency is lower than the 5-seat
Toyota Prius, which achieves 48 city and 45 highway while the Smart achieves 33 city and 41 highway. Additionally, the larger
Chevrolet Cobalt, with its 148 hp engine achieves a combined 31 MPG compared to the Smart's 36 combined MPG with its 71 hp engine.
Safety
Smart vehicles use a very small front
crumple zone. The new Smart Fortwo has been awarded 4 out of 5 stars in the
Euro NCAP Adult Occupant Protection, 2 out of 4 stars in the Pedestrian protection test but it wasn't tested for Child Occupant Protection as it has no rear seats. The original Smart was awarded 3 out of 5 stars for Adult Occupant Protection. In American tests using a five star rating, Smart cars received a four star safety rating for the driver from a front impact, and a five star safety rating for the driver for a side impact. It also received "Good" ratings (top rating) for front and side crash protection in Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests.
The main structure of the car is a stiff structure called a
Tridion Safety Cell, which is designed to activate the crumple zones of a colliding vehicle. This design creates a very strong safety cell around the passengers. However, it also subjects them to higher forces during an accident than in a conventional car.
Modification
Smart cars have been modified by
Brabus of Germany. Other companies modify the Smart to use motorcycle engines, such as the
Suzuki Hayabusa 1352 cc inline four-cylinder. These cars are known as "Diablos" ("Devils" in English). The most powerful models can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 100 km/h) in less than 3.5 seconds.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Smart Automobile'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://smart__automobile.totallyexplained.com">Smart (automobile) Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
