smart News
-
From a stable of promising urban models to a sorely range-limited two-seat electric car, the Smart brand and the Fortwo lost their way over time in the U.S.
-
$35,000 Tesla Model 3, "Full Self-Driving" returns, BMW-Mercedes car sharing: Today's Car News
Tesla announced it will sell the base $35,000 Model 3 this month, and will only sell cars online going forward. At the same time, CEO Elon Musk announced plans for the company's long-awaited Full Self-Driving system. The U.S. Senate confirmed Andrew Wheeler as permanent EPA Administrator. Daimler...
Eric C. Evarts -
Smart to go all-electric worldwide by 2020: Daimler CEO
The U.S. sales history of the Smart two-seat minicar started with a bang in 2008, when gasoline prices soared, and has waned since then. A complete redesign of the little ForTwo in the 2016 model year, with the Cabrio soft-top following for 2017, didn't do much for sales. That led parent company...
John Voelcker -
Mercedes-Benz EQ electric car Geneva debut was...a rebranded Smart car
Unveilings for several key new electric cars were expected during the media days for last week's Geneva auto show. The Jaguar I-Pace made its formal debut, and the Audi e-tron appeared in camouflage as a sort of full-size teaser display. But there had been word from Mercedes-Benz that it would...
John Voelcker -
Special-edition 2018 Smart Fortwo electric minicar marks 10 years of two-seater in US
Birthed from the uncommon alliance between watch company Swatch and Mercedes-Benz, Smart's goal was to bring a stylish city car to the masses with a level of personalization not seen in other models. The first Fortwo rolled off the line at Smartville (in Hambach, France) almost 20 years ago, but it...
Mark Stevenson -
2018 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Cabriolet first drive review: the perfect city car
I try very hard to go into each review with an open mind, but in the case of the 2018 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Cabriolet, I was prepared to dislike it. I expected an anemic driving experience in a vehicle that was somehow both small and cumbersome. I thought the Smart would be an automotive...
Brandon Turkus -
Mercedes-Benz has already laid out its plans for a portfolio of electric and electrified vehicles, and now parent company Daimler has announced further strategy refinements for Mercedes-Benz and its other brands. The Smart brand will become all-electric, it said, while its commercial truck operations will continue to add electrified powertrains to the mix, with an end goal of pure electric commercial trucks and vans. The refinements to Daimler's electric-vehicle plans come as the urgency for zero-emission cars and trucks grows, and as China in particular prepare to ban the sale of vehicles...
-
The Smart Vision EQ Fortwo is a self-driving electric matchmaker
The Smart Vision EQ Fortwo wants to be a self-driving electric matchmaker. Ahead of its global unveiling at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, Smart on Wednesday took the wraps off of an urban-oriented, self-driving electric concept car that can supply power back to the grid when it's not in use and...
Andrew Ganz -
2017 Smart ForTwo electric cars priced from $24,550
The market for electric vehicles normally comes with a high price of entry, though Smart is proposing that its new two-seat battery-powered minicar is a value proposition. Prices for the 2017 Smart ForTwo electric coupe and cabriolet begin at $24,550 and $28,750 respectively. If you've followed...
Sean Szymkowski -
Smart to be all-electric in U.S. and Canada; gasoline goes away this fall
When the tiny Smart ForTwo launched in the U.S. a decade ago, it got a huge boost in sales from both novelty and soaring gas prices. While its EPA ratings never approached those of the larger Toyota Prius hybrid, the little two-seater found buyers who liked its cheeky character and the ease of...
John Voelcker -
Probe into Smart ForTwo engine fires started by NHTSA
The NHTSA is investigating eight reported engine fires in 2008 and 2009 Smart ForTwo city cars.
Stephen Edelstein -
Smart ForTwo minicar: 15 years later, has it made a difference?
Minimal cars are often an appealing idea: why should one person drive a two-ton vehicle with five or more seats on local journeys of 10 miles or fewer? Then there's the crushingly difficult parking in major European, Asian, and North American cities. Add to that, perhaps, a desire for minimal use...
John Voelcker -
On a hot, muggy day in south Florida, nothing is more comforting than knowing that your well-cooled car will make it to its destination. When that car is a reboot of the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive, the tiny battery-powered European city slicker—and you’re surrounded by a sea of drivers who couldn't care less about keeping to a speed limit or staying in their lanes—you want to hope that you can make it. The forthcoming new-generation Electric Drive coupe and convertible proves that there is again room for an electric version in the revamped lineup of Fortwo city-sized...
-
2018 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive preview
The 2018 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive goes on sale in the U.S. next year.
Stephen Edelstein -
Smart Electric Drive has a little Renault-Nissan underneath
One of several new electric cars and concepts at last week's Paris Motor Show was the electric version of the second-generation Smart minicar. As Smart pointed out, it's the only maker that offers the option of gasoline or electric powertrains in every model it makes. Those are the ForTwo two-seat...
John Voelcker -
2018 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive details released before Paris Motor Show
The 2018 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive debuts at the 2016 Paris Motor Show.
Stephen Edelstein -
Daimler to launch at least six electric cars, perhaps even nine
Daimler will launch at least six new electric cars in the near future, a new report says.
Stephen Edelstein -
2018 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive prototype: first ride impressions
Following the launch of the latest Smart Fortwo hatchback, it was only a matter of time before the trendy German brand would introduce an evolution of its Fortwo Electric Drive version as well. While some electric vehicles remained desperately uncool or overpriced, the Fortwo "ED" (as Germans...
Jeff Jablansky -
The 2017 Smart ForTwo Cabrio starts at $19,650.
-
San Diego Car2Go car-sharing service drops electric Smarts for gasoline models
Car2Go will switch its all-electric San Diego Smart Fortwo fleet to gasoline models.
Stephen Edelstein -
Daimler to spend $500 million on electric-car battery factory
As global automakers gear up to produce higher volumes of plug-in electric cars, their battery strategies vary. Some buy in both lithium-ion cells and complete battery packs, some purchase cells but design and assemble them into packs in-house, and some own part of the cell maker. Now Daimler has...
John Voelcker -
2017 Smart ForTwo Cabrio: Soft-Top Minicar Returns To Range Next Year
The 2017 Smart ForTwo Cabrio debuted at the 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show.
Stephen Edelstein -
2016 Smart ForTwo: First Drive Of All-New Two-Seat Minicar
The 2016 Smart ForTwo is the first entirely new version of the European two-seat minicar since that vehicle was launched in the late 1990s. And it's a much better car, with more power, a choice of manual or automated transmissions, modern comfort and interior features, and fuel economy that's...
John Voelcker -
Smart ForTwo Recalled For Steering Bolts Issue
About 5,000 2014 and 2015 Smart ForTwo models are being recalled.
Stephen Edelstein