Smart (automobile)

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For cars with artificial intelligence, see Smart car.

The correct title of this article is smart (automobile). The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.

Image:Smart car.jpg

smart (formerly MCC Smart) is a brand of microcars and superminis based in Böblingen, Germany. The name of the company, part of DaimlerChrysler, was changed from Micro Compact Car GmbH to smart GmbH in September 2002. It is marketed as the "smart" in all lower case, as in the logo, to emphasize its small size. The current smart brand logo (seen on the right) denotes a "C" for "Compact" and an arrow for "forward thinking".

1 Company history
2 Models
3 Smart in North America
- 3.1 Canada
- 3.2 United States
4 Smart vehicles in popular culture
5 Criticism
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Company history

The original idea behind the very short "smart car" is that the vehicle is easy to park. It is short enough to allow it to be parked "nose-in" where a conventionally sized car would have to parallel park. Its length of 2.5m (98.4 in) equals the width of a truck or a regular parking slot, allowing two or three Smarts to park in the same space as one normal car if parked side-on to the usual parking direction.

The project idea was originally supported by Swiss watch manufacturer Swatch, and was nicknamed the "Swatchmobile". The name SMART stands for Swatch Mercedes ART ^{[citation needed]}. The car was supposed to use innovative features (such as a hybrid engine) and to be an affordable car for young people. Similar to the objective for the Citroën 2CV in the 1940s, its purpose was to "transport two people and a case of beer" (later replaced by a case of water).

Being inexperienced in automobiles, Swatch CEO Nicolas Hayek sought an established car maker to produce his Swatch car, and found a partner in Volkswagen. Plans never reached a final stage so Swatch teamed up with Daimler-Benz. The purpose-built factory complex Smartville in Hambach, Lorraine, France, was established in 1994 as a joint-venture of Daimler-Benz and the Swiss watch manufacturer Swatch.

The final car design proved to be far from Hayek's expectations: its engine technology was more expensive than many small 4 and 5 seater cars sold in Europe. The joint venture experienced heavy losses and 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 DaimlerChrysler announced that it would also cancel the Forfour and redesign the Fortwo to debut in Europe in 2007.

An electric, rechargeable version is being released in the UK, by a separate company, as a lease vehicle on a limited basis.

[edit] Models

Apart from the original short smart Fortwo, a sporty smart Roadster and a supermini smart Forfour were also offered. These have now been discontinued. There were also plans to introduce a small off-roader called the Formore but development of this was cancelled as a result of spending cutbacks.

Fortwo
Forfour
Roadster
Formore
smart EV (At the moment only trialing, expected for Q3 2007 in UK) News article

[edit] Smart in North America

[edit] Canada

The smart Fortwo was introduced in Canada in late 2004 and sold through Mercedes-Benz dealers. Only the turbo-diesel powerplant (CDI) is available for the time being for the coupe and convertible models because of emission regulations for the gasoline engines dictated by Transport Canada. Demand has been heavy with up to six 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 seem to have tapered off a bit ^{[citation needed]}, and some 2005 Smart Fortwos have popped up in the used car market. Canadian smart CDIs can not be registered in the US.

[edit] United States

All Smarts sold in the United States are grey market vehicles - modified versions of the smart Fortwo sold by some dealerships. 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. Appropriate certifications for safety (DOT) and emissions (EPA) have been obtained by Zap Motors, who purchase the car from a direct importer, but are not an official distributor of Smart vehicles. As of June 2006, Daimler-Chrysler is involved in a lawsuit against many or all such distributors<ref>National Public Radio program on the Smart vehicle. June 2006.</ref>.

In June 2006 Daimler-Chrysler confirmed that Smarts will be available through dealership holding company UnitedAuto Group, which is to create a new U. S. dealership network for the brand. [1] The first cars are expected to be available in 2008. At the outset, only an updated Fortwo will be offered.

A company called Hybrid Technologies [2] plans to sell an electric version of the Smart vehicle in the U.S. starting at $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 120 to 150 miles, a top speed of 80 mph, and charge in 5 to 6 hours using a standard 110V AC outlet. [3]

It is not possible for an individual in the U.S. to purchase and import a Smart as a used vehicle from Canada, as the diesel powered Canadian smarts do not meet US regulations for emissions.

According to Motor Trend magazine (September 2006 issue), DaimlerChrysler will sell Smart vehicles in the U.S. by early 2008. The only model announced so far though is the next-generation Smart Fortwo . The new model, yet to be named, is to make its debut in early November 2006.

[edit] Smart vehicles in popular culture

Smart vehicles were used by the main characters in the movies Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, The Pink Panther, The Da Vinci Code, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, Scoop and A Good Year.
In the video game Midnight Club 2, for the Playstation 2, a car resembling the "smart" car could be seen in France, and could even be used as a ramp for motorcycles.

[edit] Criticism

When DaimlerChrysler announced the sale of smart to United States in 2008, a Forbes article claimed that the car is designed for tight European roads, which are not useful in North America traffic. Furthermore, the fuel efficiency in city is lower than the 4-seat Toyota Prius. The accumulated financial loss of the brand is also a sign that the city car concept had not been well received even in Europe.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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Smart (automobile)

Members and holdings of DaimlerChrysler :
Chrysler Group: Chrysler \| Dodge \| Jeep
Defunct Marques: Barreiros (1959-1978) \| Commer (1905-1979) \| DeSoto (1928-1961) \| Eagle (1988-1998) \| Fargo (1920-1972) \| Hillman (1907-1976) \| Humber (1898-1975) \| Imperial (1955-1975, 1981-1983) \| Karrier (1908-1977) \| Plymouth (1928-2001) \| Simca (1934-1977) \| Sunbeam (1901-1976) \| Singer (1905-1970) \| Valiant (1960-1966)
Mercedes Car Group: Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) \| Maybach \| Mercedes-Benz \| Mercedes-AMG \| Smart
Commercial Vehicle Brands: Freightliner \| Mercedes-Benz \| Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus \| OriOn \| Setra \| Sterling Trucks \| Thomas Built Buses \| Western Star
Participations in: EADS (30.17%) \| Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus (85%) \| Freightliner \| McLaren Group (40%)