- This page refers to the DaimlerChrysler 'smart' brand of compact cars. For 'smart' cars with artificial intelligence-type features, see smart car.
smart (short for Swatch Mercedes Art, sometimes called the MCC smart) is a brand of microcar. The original smart was a very small two-seater, but a coupe convertible and small SUV have been added, extending the brand into a true marque, part of DaimlerChrysler as Micro Compact Car GmbH. The company name was changed to smart GmbH in September 2002.
History
The smart fortwo is manufactured at Smartville, a purpose-built factory complex in Hambach, France, established in 1994 as a joint-venture of Daimler-Benz and the Swiss watch manufacturer Swatch.
The project was originally supported by Swatch, and was nicknamed the "Swatchmobile". The car was supposed to use innovative features (such as hybrid engine) and to be an affordable car for young people. 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 car proved to be far from expectations: technology was conventional and it was more expensive than most small 4-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 NedCar plant used to manufacture the forfour. DC also halted development on the formore.
fortwo
The fortwo is the original smart model that was launched in 1998 as City Coupe. The name fortwo was introduced when smart began to produce new models. The car is intended primarily for urban use, powered by small petrol or diesel engines. It is light (740 kg) thanks to its reinforced steel shell with plastic body panels. The smart car's length (2.5 m) means that two smarts can share a parking bay.
The car is popular in Europe and Japan. It is the only non-Japanese car that fulfills the regulations for Keicars. On 26 June 2002, smart fortwo was exhibited at the new MoMA Queens for the first time. It is the only model that still in production today. Although one of the cars is an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, the car is not available in the USA. It was introduced in Canada as a 2005 model in September 2004.
Electric vehicle manufacturer Zap plans to import smart fortwos from a German dealer and modify them for sale in the United States in 2005.
forfour
The forfour is a new model introduced in 2004. Unlike its little "brother", this is a more conventional car, a real compact-segment hatchback with a roomy interior, and four- or five-seater configuration.
The car is produced at the NedCar factory in the Netherlands in conjunction with Mitsubishi Motors. To save production costs, the smart forfour shares most of its components with the 2003 Mitsubishi Colt, including chassis, suspensions and a new generation of MIVEC petrol engines, three- and four-cylinder, ranging from 1.1 to 1.5 L. The 1.5 L cdi diesel engine, on the contrary, is a three-cylinder Mercedes-Benz engine derived from the four-cylinder of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class. A Brabus-prepared sports version will be available from 2005.
smart roadster and roadster-coupé
formore
The larger formore was to be released worldwide (including the United States) in 2006. It was to be a small all wheel drive SUV riding on the same platform as the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and X-Class and would have been built at the DaimlerChrysler factory in Brazil. However, DaimlerChrysler announced on April 1, 2005 that the formore would be cancelled.
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