smart fortwo News
-
The Smart brand has enjoyed modest success in the U.S. since its launch here back in 2007 but with a lack of any new models or updates, the oddly-designed minicar brand has fallen largely off the radar of late. Furthermore, even with all the hoopla surrounding electric vehicles at the moment, especially concerning the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf, Smart has barely managed a blip on the radar with its own ForTwo Electric Drive, which started first deliveries here in the U.S. in late January. This can be blamed largely on the brand’s troubles in the U.S. and the ForTwo Electric...
-
Tata Pixel Concept: Nano's 69-MPG Pal, 2011 Geneva Motor Show
The world's least expensive new car, India's Tata Nano, is now selling across that country, with plans afoot to offer an upgraded version in Europe this year or in 2012. Meanwhile, carmaker Tata (which owns Jaguar Land Rover) is hardly standing still. At this week's 2011 Geneva Motor Show, Tata...
John Voelcker -
2011 Geneva Auto Show: Electric Car Preview
It’s the end of February, which means that winter is almost over for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, and Geneva’s prestigious autoshow is just days away. This year we’ve been given unprecedented access to many of the cars due to debut at this year’s show, but in case...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Smart Debuts the Forspeed Concept In Geneva
The 2011 Geneva Motor Show is quickly approaching with the opening day being on March 3rd. As with most shows, manufacturers are using the show as a springboard for their concept cars and model debuts. Smart is no exception and has announced that they will be debuting a new concept car called the...
Jonathan McGrew -
2010 Smart ForTwo Minicars: Still On Sale, Now Even Cheaper
If you're one of the dwindling number of car buyers considering the Smart ForTwo minicar, now may be a good time to close the deal. Smart sent out an e-mail yesterday offering $1,500 of "customer cash" off the purchase price of remaining 2010 ForTwo coupe models, which apparently are still in stock...
John Voelcker -
2011 Geneva Auto Show: Toyota IQ EV Preview
Until last spring, Toyota had never seemed that keen on producing an all-electric car, claiming battery technology just wasn’t ready for an all-electric car - despite having produced an all electric crossover SUV back in the late 1990s. Since then however, things have changed a lot. Not only...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Yesterday we heard the news that Mercedes-Benz will take over Smart car distribution in the United States from Penske Automotive Group. The independent dealer network had started distributing the Smart ForTwo in 2008 with a total of 77 dealers nationwide. But with Mercedes-Benz only taking-over Smart car dealers who already sell other Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the number of Smart Car dealers in the U.S. could fall to just 58. So what does this mean for the newly launched Smart ForTwo Electric Drive, which some commentators had deemed the most widely available electric car in the U.S.? Will...
-
Valentine's Day Idea: Wrap Your Car In Hearts And Love
Suppose your beloved walked into the garage this morning and found the car covered in pink hearts and declarations of love. That'd be a pretty impressive Valentine's Day gift, right? Well, start your planning for next year, 'cause this one will take more than a last-minute dash to the florist and...
John Voelcker -
Which Is Selling Better: 2011 Chevy Volt Or 2011 Nissan Leaf?
The first business day of every month is when automakers release sales data for the previous month. Today, we got January's sales figures, which are an improvement over last January's. But the question that we keep hearing is: Which sells better, the 2011 Nissan Leaf or the 2011 Chevrolet Volt?...
John Voelcker -
Electric Smarts: The First ForTwo Electric Drive Delivered
Electric car are getting a lot of attention in the media as of late and for good reason; the electric car represents the future of American motor—of a sorts anyway. Even with the introduction of other powertrain combinations as we reported on yesterday with the Volkswagen XL1 concept, the...
Jonathan McGrew -
Smart Makes It Three: First Smart Electric Drive Delivered
And the entry of electric cars into the U.S. market continues apace. The first 2011 Nissan Leaf was delivered in San Francisco on December 12, and the first 2011 Chevy Volt came three days later in New Jersey. Now, Smart has delivered the first example of its own electric car, the 2011 Smart ForTwo...
John Voelcker -
Smart Goes Topless: Electric Roadster To Appear At Geneva?
Smart's current range, just like its sole product, the ForTwo, is short and sweet. The lineup consists of the Pure and Passion specifications, and convertible versions of each. A Ford Fiesta rival is expected in the fall, based on the new Nissan March/Micra subcompact. And although it's not...
Antony Ingram -
July is a good time in the U.S. Generally it is warm as summer is in full swing and it bring the celebration of our Independence Day. In fact, on July 4th we ran an article on the 2011 Honda CR-Z, Honda’s first sports hybrid. Other headlines that posted during the month included the start of the debate on whether the new Camaro or Mustang is the most popular among American consumers, AmeriCredit acquired by GM, the announcement of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt price and U.S. car sales surpassing Cash-For-Clunkers for the first time in 2010. Our top article pick is the final verdict of an...
-
Counting Down To 2011: Top ASC Article for June 2010
Here we are at mid-2010 already! As we roll through the months counting down to the beginning of 2011 it is interesting to review what was happening during 2010. June was a month that saw AllSmallCars.com participating in the Rocky Mountain Driving Experience, which included driving the 2010...
Jonathan McGrew -
Counting Down To 2011: Top ASC Article for May 2010
News is a big part of AllSmallCars.com because we like to keep you the consumer up to date on the latest small car news. However, it is also our goal to give you useful opinions and advice in the form of reviews, top car lists and first drives. In May there was a lot happening in the industry (some...
Jonathan McGrew -
2011 Think City Becomes 2+2 in Europe, Still Overpriced
We can’t think of many times when an automaker suddenly doubles the number of seats in a car without making the car bigger. But that’s just what the Norwegian car maker Think has done with its diminutive city car. Originally designed as a 2 seat city car, the all-electric A segment car...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
The Missing Electric Car Segment: Minicars At $15,000 Or So?
For the past few years, we’ve witnessed the success of low-volume, high-priced, highway-capable electric vehicles in the Tesla Roadster. We’ve also just recently seen the advent of medium-volume, medium -priced highway-capable electric cars like the 2011 Chevy Volt and 2011 Nissan LEAF...
Jason Hendler -
Triac Electric Car - Three Wheels, 100 Miles And $25,000
With the focus naturally going towards some of the big electric car launches we've had this year or established players like Tesla Motors, it's all too easy to forget that there are a wealth of smaller companies out there producing their own, unique take on electric transport. One such company is...
Antony Ingram -
Add another entry to the growing list of electric vehicles going on sale in the next year or so. Think North America, maker of the two-seat City electric car, announced that its 2011 Think City had been approved as a zero-emission vehicle by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The approval lets Think sell the 2011 City in California and the 12 other states, plus the District of Columbia, that have adopted California's stricter vehicle emissions regulations. The 2011 City uses a lithium-ion battery pack, with cells from Ener1, that gives it a stated range of up to 100 miles, a...
-
Can U.S. Buyers Warm To Two-Seat Battery Electric City Cars?
Is small the new large? In the next few months we’ll see three different electric vehicles hit the market from automakers keen to break into the city car market. But historically two-seat cars have made up less than 2% of total U.S. car sales. Why would an electric car be any different?...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Hertz To Launch Electric-Car Rentals in NYC, Add Smart To Fleet
As it gears up to offer electric cars in selected rental fleets across the country, Hertz has dribbled out details of how its Global EV program will actually work. Today we learn that New York City will be the first region to receive the electric and plug-in hybrid rental cars, with rentals to...
John Voelcker -
Europe's First iAd With 2012 Renault Twizy Electric Car
If there's one gadget that seems to go hand in hand with electric cars, it's Apple's iPhone. We've seen apps that allow you to place reservations and even customise your order, apps that allow you to keep track of charging and even switch on your aircon or heater remotely, and earlier in the year...
Antony Ingram -
2011 Wheego Whip LiFe Electric Car: First Drive Report
The 2011 Wheego Whip LiFe is a small, two-seat electric car from a startup company you've never heard of with an unusual name. It doesn't have the fit, finish, or driving quality of a 2011 Nissan Leaf or the Japanese-market Mitsubishi "i" we tested two years ago. And it's only got two seats, which...
John Voelcker -
2010 Los Angeles Auto Show: Guide To Electric Vehicles
We took a look a few weeks ago at the five electric cars we reckoned you should do your best to see at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. Our list included the 2011 Nissan Leaf, 2011 Chevrolet Volt, 2011 Coda Sedan, the 2012 Toyota RAV4 EV and the 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV. Our opinion hasn't changed -...
Antony Ingram