Smart[1]
is an automotive branch of
Daimler AG that specialises in manufacturing
microcars. It is headquartered in
Böblingen, Germany and has its main factory in
Hambach, France. Its vehicles are marketed as smart, in all
lower-case, with a brand logo that incorporates a letter "c" for
"compact" and an arrow for "forward thinking".
The design concept for smart cars began in the late 1980s, associated
at the time with the
Swatch
brand of watches. After a period of backing by
Volkswagen, the first model was finally launched by
Daimler-Benz in October 1998. Several variants on the original
design have been introduced, but the original design, now called
the
Fortwo, is the most enduring. It is now in its second
generation, and an
electric
version is also available.
Smarts are marketed widely including in Asia, North and South
America, Australia and in Europe. Although small, they have met
crash and passenger safety tests and requirements in many countries.
They have been the subject of many conversions and design improvements
by third parties, including
electric conversions,
performance upgrades, and
design enrichments.
Brabus
tuned production smarts are widely available.
Origins
In the late 1980s,
SMH (makers of the
Swatch
brand of watches) CEO
Nicolas Hayek began developing an idea for a new car using the same
type of manufacturing strategies and personalization features used to
popularize
Swatch watches. He believed that the automotive industry had ignored
a sector of potential customers who wanted a small and stylish city car.
This idea soon became known as the "Swatchmobile". Hayek's private
company Hayek Engineering AG began designing the new car for SMH, with
seating for two and a
hybrid drivetrain.[2]
While design of the car was proceeding, Hayek feared existing
manufacturers would feel threatened by the Swatchmobile. Thus, rather
than directly competing, he preferred to cooperate with another company
in the automotive industry. This would also relieve SMH of the cost
burden in setting up a distribution network. Hayek approached several
automotive manufacturers and on July 3, 1991 he reached an agreement
with
Volkswagen to share development of the new project.[3]
By 1993
Ferdinand Piëch had become CEO of Volkswagen and he immediately
sought to terminate the project with SMH. Volkswagen had already been
working on their own "three-litre car": a car which would consume three
litres of fuel per 100 km of driving (the eventual
Volkswagen Lupo 3L). Volkswagen's own concept was believed to be a
better business proposition, featuring four seats and more cargo room.[4]
Hayek had suspected that Piëch would seek to end the agreement with
SMH upon his ascendancy to the CEO position; therefore, he discreetly
began approaching other car companies with the Swatchmobile project.
Rebuffed by BMW,
Fiat,
General Motors and
Renault,
he finally reached an informal agreement with
Daimler-Benz AG, maker of
Mercedes-Benz cars.[5]
A deal was announced on March 4, 1994, at a press conference at
Mercedes-Benz headquarters in
Stuttgart that the companies would join forces in founding Micro
Compact Car AG (MCC). 49% of the initial capital of 50 million
Swiss francs were provided by SMH and the remaining 51% by
Daimler-Benz. The company consisted of two subsidiaries: MCC GmbH based
in
Renningen (a suburb of Stuttgart) which would design the car, and
the then-unnamed manufacturing plant. SMH Auto SA, owned by Hayek, would
design a hybrid electric drive system for the car, while Hayek
Engineering would audit the design and manufacturing.[6]
The press conference also featured the debut of two concept cars: the
eco-sprinter and eco-speedster, styled by Mercedes-Benz's
design studio in California.[7]
The cars were similar to the eventual
Smart City-Coupé. No mention was made of the fact that SMH had no
input in the design of these concepts,[8]
and they were badged as Mercedes-Benzes.
By the end of April 1994 MCC had set up a head office in
Biel,
Switzerland.[9]
Company history
Three co-directors were immediately named to head the new company:
designer and engineer Johann Tomforde and financial administrator
Christoph Baubin from Daimler-Benz, and marketing manager Hans Jürg
Schär, who spearheaded the original Swatch marketing campaigns in the
mid-1980s. Tomforde had been working on the Mercedes City Car
(coincidentally abbreviated MCC) project at Daimler-Benz since 1990,
which produced the aforementioned eco-sprinter and
eco-speedster concepts as well as the Vision-A concept, which
eventually became the
Mercedes-Benz A-Class.[10]
One of the first controversies at MCC was the name of the car itself.
Nicolas Hayek insisted it retain 'Swatch' in some way: "Swatchmobile",
or "Swatch Car". Daimler-Benz refused, and pushed for a neutral name.[11]
The final name settled upon was Smart, an
acronym
that had been previously used internally by MCC for Swatch Mercedes
Art.[12]
By May 1994 the co-directors had identified 74 potential sites for
the assembly plant. The final site was announced on December 20, 1994:
Hambach,
France.[13]
The purpose-built factory quickly gained the nickname "Smartville".
Tomforde devised a modular system of assembly for the car, insisting
suppliers design and assemble, and even install their own modules onto
the final car, at the new plant using their own employees thus reducing
the cost overhead for the parent companies and divesting MCC of the
financial and legal liabilities for those parts. It also provided a
fiscal framework whereby MCC could share the development costs with the
suppliers, rather than having to fund the entire project themselves.[14]
MCC secured contracts with suppliers to design and supply almost all
parts of the car: seats by
Faurecia, interiors by
VDO, chassis and door modules by Magna, door panels by
Dynamit Nobel, and suspension by
Krupp.[15]
Despite offloading a substantial amount of the development on the
suppliers MCC required more capital. Recapitalization by Daimler-Benz
increased their share of ownership in the company to 81%, leaving SMH
with only the remaining 19%.[16]
The assembly plant opened October 27, 1997, with a ceremonial
ribbon-cutting by then-French President
Jacques Chirac and
German Chancellor
Helmut Kohl.[17]
Introduction of the new Smart city-Coupé was planned for March, 1998,
however dynamic instability of the prototypes prompted Daimler-Benz to
announce postponing the launch until October, 1998. Johann Tomforde was
replaced as chief engineer by Gerhard Fritz.[18]
Fritz lowered the centre of gravity, widened the track, stiffened the
suspension, changed the steering, and added ballast weight to the front
of the car in order to increase its stability in emergency avoidance
manoeuvres (notably the Swedish "moose
test").[19]
The car launched successfully in nine European countries in October
1998, however the final design did not fulfill Hayek's expectations.
Hayek pushed for a hybrid drivetrain but the final product used a
relatively conventional gasoline engine. Shortly afterward Daimler-Benz
bought out SMH's remaining stake in the company.[20]
MCC was now a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler-Benz (which soon merged
with
Chrysler Corporation to become DaimlerChrysler). The office in Biel
was shut down and operations were consolidated at the MCC GmbH design
centre in Germany. On January 1, 1999 MCC GmbH changed its name to
MCC smart GmbH,[21]
and by 2000 it dropped the last vestiges of the association with SMH,
becoming smart GmbH.[22]
The model line was eventually expanded to include the
Roadster and a rear-engine, rear-drive, four-door, four-seat
supermini aptly named
Forfour (the original City-Coupé was rechristened Fortwo to
fit the new naming scheme).
The ambitious expansion did not increase profits at the company:
indeed, smart GmbH lost nearly 4 billion euros from 2003 to 2006.[23]
Plans were enacted to increase the company's profitability and integrate
its operations with DaimlerChrysler.
In 2005 DaimlerChrysler decided against purchasing a 50% share in the
Dutch
NedCar plant used to manufacture the ForFour, ending its production.
A planned SUV called
Formore was terminated as the assembly plant in Brazil was being
fitted with machines, and production of the
Roadster was discontinued. In 2006, after dwindling sales and heavy
financial losses, Smart GmbH was liquidated and its operations were
absorbed by DaimlerChrysler directly.
Smart now operates under the
Mercedes-Benz Cars division of
Daimler AG, offering the Fortwo as its only product.
Models
Apart from the original short
Smart Fortwo, a sporty
Smart Roadster, a limited production of 2000 erstwhile concept
Smart Crossblade and a
supermini
Smart Forfour were also offered. These have now been discontinued.
There were also plans to introduce the French 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.
Production models
Concept
and unproduced models
Electric versions
Smart electric
drive
An
all-electric version of the fortwo, the
Smart Fortwo electric drive (previously known as Samart ED), began
development in 2006.[26][27]
Field testing began in London with 100 units in 2007, and the second
generation, with a total of 2,000 units produced, was introduced in 2009
and available in 18 markets around the world for leasing or through the
Car2Go
carsharing service in
San
Diego and
Amsterdam.[28][29][30][31]
Production of the second-generation Smart Fortwo electric drive began in
November 2009 in
Hambach, France. The Smart EDs have a
lithium-ion battery provided by
Tesla Motors with capacity of 14 kilowatt-hours (50 MJ). The
range of a fully charged battery is up to 135 kilometres (84 miles)
under the
New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) cycle.[32][33]
The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's official
all-electric range is 63 miles (101 km) and rated the Smart ED with
a combined
fuel economy of 87
miles per gallon gasoline equivalent (mpg-e) (2.7 L gasoline
equivalent/100 km; 104 mpg-imp gasoline equivalent).[34]
The third-generation Smart electric drive is scheduled to be launched
in the U.S. and Europe by the second quarter of 2013 and
Daimler AG plans to
mass produce the electric car with availability in 30 markets
worldwide.[29][35]
The third-generation Smart electric drive was unveiled at the September
2011
Frankfurt Motor Show.[36]
Key differences with the second-generation model include a more powerful
electric motor, which improves acceleration and top speed, a new
lithium-ion battery pack that will allow to increase the range to
140 kilometres (87 mi), and an option for quick-charge will be
available.[29][36]
Competitors
Electric
vehicle conversions
eSmart is a Smart Fortwo electric conversion. It has a 40 km range
with
AGM batteries (100 km with
Li-ion batteries)
In Asia
Japan
Older Smart cars equipped with engine sizes smaller than 660 cubic
centimetres (40 cu in) 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 do not 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. An official version of the
Smart Fortwo called the 'Smart K' has been released to fit the
Kei car
category. English musician
Steve Appleton is featured in a Smart TV commercial, running in
Japan
during 2010.
China
Smart was shown in April 2008 at the
Beijing Auto Show 2008. Smart Fortwo started the pre-sales in
October 2008 and the
Smart vending machine road show in 12 cities from October 2008 to
February 2009.
Hong Kong
Smart is available in
Hong
Kong with authorized dealer,
Zung Fu Motors.[38]
Indonesia
Since 29 November 2010,
Smart Fortwo cars are available in
Indonesia with PT. Mercedes-Benz Indonesia (MBI) as the authorized
dealer. Currently, MBI offers three models: Pure Coupe, Passion Coupe,
and Passion Cabriolet, and can be purchased in
Jakarta
and Bali.[39]
Indonesia is also the first country in
Southeast Asia to have the
Smart Electric Drive, which has been lent to the Government of DKI
Jakarta for a one-year period and can be extended for further indefinite
period by a signed agreement between PT. Mercedes-Benz Indonesia, PT.
Siemens Indonesia, and the Government of DKI Jakarta. The Smart ED will
then serve as a pilot project to prove the effectivity of zero-emission
car usage that can utilize alternative sources of energy.[40][41]
In North America
Canada
The
smart fortwo was introduced in
Canada
in late 2004 and was sold through
Mercedes-Benz dealers. Demand was initially heavy with up to 6-month
waiting lists in major urban areas in the spring of 2005. The vehicle
has been especially popular for commuters, small car fanatics, people
needing light delivery and service vehicles, with many carrying custom
paint jobs or stick-on graphics boldly advertising an associated
business or service. However, the demand relaxed slightly in the second
year on the market, and a very tight supply of remaining 2006 model 450
cdis made 2007 sales appear to be a relatively weak. However, sales
rebounded strongly once the new 451 started arriving. Canadian smart
cdis cannot be registered in some states in the US, though at least 20
are known to be there.
10,239 smart fortwo cdis had been sold in Canada by the first month
of 2008. Just before the Type 450 ended production (after which the
production had equaled 770,256 cars) Mercedes-Benz Canada built-up stock
of cdis to tide dealers over until the successor model 451 arrived at
the end of 2007.
The Canadian version of the Type 450 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. Through 2007,
sales totalled about 2200, with the last few cars being sold in the
first month of 2008, when the new Type 451 was already on sale. The
smart's strongest sales performance ever in Canada was in April 2007,
when more than 500 units were sold. Sales are strongest (per capita) in
Western Canada, with Vancouver Island and Vancouver being especially hot
markets for smart.
The 2008-2011 (North America) smart fortwo Type 451 was totally
redesigned, with a 70 HP naturally aspirated Mitsubishi-sourced gasoline
engine of 999 cc for North America, up from the 799 cc cdi diesel, with
the attendant loss of fuel economy. smart decided not to import the cdi
version of the 451, now with 55 DIN HP, although this decision has led
to criticism that the new smart does not get the fuel economy that many
would expect from such a small car. The 799 cc, far more fuel efficient
diesel is sold in Europe and some other World markets.
The BRABUS Tailor-Made program is not well advertised in Canada, but
no less than 15 Tailor-Made cars have been produced to Canadian
specification. These vehicles are sent to the BRABUS factory in Bottrop,
Germany, where the standard ex-works cars are stripped to the shell and
repainted/retrimmed to suit individual customers' tastes. The first four
are the BRABUS Canada 1; three in bright red (including the tridion, two
cabriolets and one coupé) and one in all white (a cabriolet). Aside from
the special paint, all had every BRABUS part fitted to the body and
interior, and the seats, door panels and dashboards were trimmed in
black Nappa leather and Alcantara. Three of these cars are in British
Columbia and #1-of-1, the Concept vehicle used at Canadian International
Auto Shows (a red cabrio with silver alloys), is now in London, Ontario.
The next BRABUS Tailor-Made Canadian car was a one-off all orange 451
made for a customer in Vancouver. The other ten were all ordered by
Mercedes-Benz Canada as the special "edit10n" of the Canadian BRABUS 451
(with only 70 HP), painted in metallic dark grey with an orange Nappe
leather interior.
In 2009 the
Government of Canada acquired the European Smart mhd (micro hybrid
drive) through partnership with Mercedes-Benz Canada. The project was
administered by the
ecoTECHNOLOGY for Vehicles(eTV) program within
Transport Canada. Goals were to identify the benefits of the
start-stop system equipped on the vehicle and how to accelerate the
penetration of this technology throughout Canada. See Smart mhd
Test Results Report.
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 in
Santa Ana, California, and distributed and sold by independent
dealerships which were not affiliated with Mercedes. U.S. regulations
did not permit the purchase and import of used Smart CDi vehicles from
Canada, as the diesel powered Canadian Smarts did not 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.[42]
Initially, an updated gasoline powered
Fortwo was offered, starting around US$12,000.[43]
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 120 to 150 miles (190–240 km), a top
speed of 80 mph (130 km/h), and charge in 5 to 6 hours using a standard
120 V 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.[44][45]
The electric model is scheduled for a U.S. release for the 2012 model
year with some test market cars surfacing in 4th quarter 2010.
A Forbes article has been critical of the stated reasons that
Daimler-Chrysler gave for introducing the car in the United States.[46]
The Smart fortwo is the most fuel-efficient fully gasoline-engined car
for sale in the US, and the fourth most fuel-efficient vehicle in the US
behind several hybrid electric/gasoline vehicles. According to the EPA,
the Smart's fuel efficiency is lower than the fuel efficiency of some
hybrids, including the
Ford Fusion, the
Toyota Prius, the
Honda Civic Hybrid, and the 2-seat
Honda Insight, which achieve 41/36, 51/48, 40/43, and 40/43
respectively while the Smart achieves 33 city and 41 highway. However,
the Smart fortwo is the most efficient car at its pricepoint, since it
costs about half as much as a hybrid in the US. Its pricepoint and gas
mileage may make it more comparable to non-automobile vehicles, such as
motorcycles.
The unique design of the Smart has received much attention in the
U.S. In its April 2008 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?".[47]
To obtain a Smart originally required obtaining a "reservation"
costing $99 through a dealer or over the internet. The waiting time in
January 2009 was approximately 12 months; however, as of July 2009 there
was no wait to obtain a vehicle and dealers have them in stock for
immediate delivery.
On January 25, 2010, Smart USA began its first lease program in the
US market for smart fortwo models.[48]
The program was scheduled to last through February 28, 2010, but has
been extended indefinitely despite lack of leasing sales.
Smart USA has appointed its first dealer in Puerto Rico. The new
dealer is located in San Juan, Puerto Rico and is part of the Penske
Automotive Group. It is also a part of Triangle Automotive Group, an
automotive retailer in Puerto Rico.[49]
Penske Automotive Group announced plans February 14, 2011, to
relinquish distribution of the smart fortwo under smart USA, to
Mercedes-Benz USA.[50]
In 2011, smart USA offers four versions of their fortwo model. These
models include the following: cabriolet, the high-cost convertible
version; passion, the mid-cost moonroof version; pure, the low-cost
basic version; and electric drive, the electric version.[51]
On July 1, 2011, Mercedes-Benz USA took over the distribution, sales
and marketing of the Smart brand from Penske Automotive Group. Smart is
owned and produced by Mercedes' parent, Daimler AG.
Mexico
Smart offers the hardtop and convertible models of the
Fortwo coupé in Mexico.[52]
The Smart cars were first introduced to the country in 2003, and were
sold in department stores
Sanborns and
Liverpool. Later Mercedes Benz dealers started to offer the car.
Currently Smart cars are still offered in the country but with little
acceptance, with only the Fortwo model available.
Smart cars have fierce competition with the
Hyundai Atos,
Pontiac Matiz, and
Chevrolet Chevy, which are compacts with low gas consumption at less
than half the cost of a Smart Car but with more space for passengers.
In South America
Argentina
In South America Smart can be found in two countries:
Argentina[53]
and Brazil.
In Argentina Smart is for sale since 2010 and models (Fortwo Cabrio and
Fortwo Coupé) can be bought in "Smart Centers" located in trendy spots
of
Buenos Aires like
Puerto Madero neighbourhood. Although Smart cars can be good options
in the crowded streets and avenues of Buenos Aires city, the price is
considered high (roughly $24,000 USD) in comparison to other small cars
which are made in Argentina.
Smart in Australia
Since 2003 Smart has been for sale in Australia. All Smart models
that have been produced have been sold in Australia. The Smart is
currently sold through Mercedes-Benz Dealerships. Recently Smart has
become popular among young people in urban areas of Australia,
particularly in its largest cities. Mercedes-Benz Dealerships around
Australia as of 2003 are only offering Smart vehicles in the "Pulse"
mid-range trim, thus the "Passion", "Brabus Xclusive" and other trims
are not available as yet, until further notice or changes.
Smart in Europe
United Kingdom
Launched in the
United Kingdom in 2000, Smart has seen the number of dedicated fans
and owners grow year after year.
The current range features the
Smart Fortwo convertible, and Smart Fortwo coupé. Most
popular amongst those living in cities, smart is available in the UK
through
Mercedes-Benz retailers.
As a result the UK is host to a number of annual smart car events,
both official and unofficial, including the largest one-day gathering of
smart cars in the world. Smart Festival is held annually at
Mercedes-Benz World in Weybridge, near historic
Brooklands - the world’s first purpose-built motor racing circuit.
The
Smart Fortwo ed is currently going through user trials in the UK,
and will go on general release in 2012.
Safety
Cutaway showing structure of the Smart
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 and 2 out of 4 stars in the
Pedestrian protection test, but was not tested for Child Occupant
Protection as it has no rear seats.[54]
The original Smart was awarded 3 out of 5 stars for Adult Occupant
Protection.[55]
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.[56]
It also received "Good" ratings (top rating) for front and side crash
protection in Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tests.[57]
However, in an April 2009 40 mph frontal offset crash test between a
Fortwo and a Mercedes C class, "the Smart went air- borne and turned
around 450 degrees" causing "extensive intrusion into the space around
the dummy from head to feet". The IIHS rated the Smart Fortwo "Poor,"
noting that "Multiple injuries, including to the head, would be likely
for a real-world driver of a Smart in a similar collision."[58]
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, according to the manufacturer.[59]
Modification
Smart cars have been modified by
Brabus
of Germany, resulting in Brabus production models. Other companies
modify the Smart to use motorcycle engines, such as the
Suzuki Hayabusa 1340 cc inline four-cylinder. These cars are known
as Smartuki.[60]
The most powerful models can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 100 km/h)
in less than 3.5 seconds.[61]
The original car was fitted with a mildly tuned engine and ran 0-60 mph
in 4.5 seconds, 1/4 mile standing start in 12.4 seconds and a top speed
of 132 mph (212 km/h). It is possible to push the GSXR engine further;
nitrous Oxide will add another 50 bhp (37 kW; 51 PS) - 80 bhp (60 kW;
81 PS) and there is a turbocharged option.[62]
Some companies and individuals upgrade the original engine to Brabus
spec, but these have been taken even further by some with many
aftermarket upgrade options available.
Examples of individual user modifications and maintenance can be
found here:
http://www.fq101.co.uk