smart News

  • Renault Twizy Z.E. electric vehicle

    Is it a car? Is it a scooter? No: It's a Twizy, which could be considered a combination of the two. If you're following the world of electric cars with a keen eye then you'll no doubt be aware that French manufacturer Renault is taking electric vehicles quite seriously, just like its Japanese partner Nissan. A few years back Renault revealed a group of four electric 'Z.E.' concepts, the Fluence sedan, the Kangoo delivery van, the Zoe subcompact and the Twizy microcar. Since then we've seen the DeZir electric sports car concept and a further preview of the Zoe. We've also seen the Kangoo and...

  • Mia Electric microbus
    Mia Electric: 2011 Geneva Motor Show, The Microbus Concept

    If you read our guest post by actor, TV presenter and electric car convert Robert Llewellyn, you may have noticed his mention of a little electric microbus by the name of "Mia". Sitting in the middle of halls 4 and 5 with major manufacturers like Honda, Toyota, Renault and Ferrari in all...

  • 2011 Smart electric drive
    Report: Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Available For Sale In 2012

    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...

  • Tata Pixel Concept, 2011 Geneva Motor Show
    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...

  • Opel Ampera Prototype
    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...

  • Smart Forspeed Concept
    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...

  • 2010 Smart ForTwo Cdi

    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 at some Smart dealers. Those dealers are going through something of an upheaval themselves, with Monday's announcement that Mercedes-Benz would take over Smart distribution in the U.S. from Penske Motors, which had brought the car into the States and overseen a network of 79 dealers. Of those...

  • 2011 Toyota iQ
    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...

  • 2011 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive
    2011 Smart Electric Drive: Will Fewer Dealers Cut Electric-Car Access?

    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...

  • 2011 Smart ForTwo with 'Heartthrob' Valentine's Day car wrap
    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...

  • First 2011 Nissan Leaf delivered to buyer, San Francisco, Dec 2010, photo by Eugene Lee
    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?...

  • First Smart ForTwo Electric Drive with Roger Penske and Smart USA president Jill Lajdziak, Jan 2011
    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...

  • 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 Electric Drive. Its new driver is Mindy Kimball, of Silver Spring, Maryland. She's an early adopter--and a major in the U.S. Army--who has been a presenter with the Climate Project for four years and participates actively in the Electric Vehicle Association of Washington, D.C. Smart will deliver...

  • Smart ForTwo roadster concept
    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...

  • 2009 Smart Passion Cabriolet: Great Smart Car Road Trip First Fill Up
    Counting Down To 2011: Top ASC Article for July 2010

    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...

  • 2011 Smart Fortwo
    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...

  • 2010 Smart ForTwo Cdi
    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...

  • 2011 Think City 2+2
    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...

  • Green Vehicles Triac electric car

    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 Green Vehicles of Salinas, California. Their creation, the Triac, is a slimline three-wheeled vehicle which company president Mike Ryan says has an honest 100-mile range. Why an 'honest' range? "There has been a tendency in some cases for folks to overestimate their range by calculating it in an...

  • Think City electric vehicle
    2011 Think City Electric Car Approved For Sale in California

    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...

  • 2011 Wheego Whip LiFe electric car
    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?...

  • Smart Electric Drive at Hertz Global EV rental launch, New York City, December 2010
    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...

  • Renault Twizy Concept
    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...

  • 2011 Wheego Whip LiFe at 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show
    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...

News First Drives Electric Cars Hybrids Guides Green Life