Tag: fortwo

Official: Smart Fortwo Electric Drive lease now $139/mo

Filed under: Car Buying, Convertible, Coupe, Budget, Smart, Electric

Electric cars seem to be getting more affordable by the day, and the latest to get a price drop is the 2013 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive. With sales currently limited to only a handful of states, the Smart Fortwo ED is preparing for its nationwide rollout by offering a 36-month lease of the Fortwo ED Coupe for as low as $139 per month – or the same price as the non-electric Fortwo. The previous Fortwo ED leases started at $199 a month.

Available until September 3, conditions of this lease include a down payment of $1,999 and signing up for the Battery Assurance Plus battery-lease program, which is a separate lease for the battery at $80 per month. This means that lessees are actually driving the Fortwo ED for just $59 each month, although a mileage cap is set at 30,000 miles. There has been no price drop for those interested in purchasing a 2013 Fortwo ED, however, as has been the case with rival EVs like the Ford Focus Electric, Nissan Leaf and, most recently, the Chevy Volt.

As an added bonus, Smart is also giving its dealers a $2,000 incentive on the Fortwo, which can be used in any way the dealer wishes – local advertising, lowering the asking price for consumers, etc. AutoblogGreen‘s Sebastian Blanco has put together quite a bit more info on the Smart Fortwo ED lease, click thru to read more.

Smart Fortwo Electric Drive lease now $139/mo originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Aug 2013 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Smart celebrates 1.5 million Fortwo models built, prepares to upgrade factory

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Plants/Manufacturing, Smart, Specialty

Smart is celebrating 1.5 million Fortwos built since 1998 at its plant in Hambach, France, before it goes offline for an extended summer break. The 1.5 millionth Fortwo is a white Electric Drive Cabriolet, but it isn’t known which market it will be sold in.

The milestone is highlighted by the reason for the extended break, which starts in July and continues through August: The plant will be receiving a 200 million euro upgrade to prepare it for a next-generation Smart vehicle, a newly designed “four-seated urban mobility car” (aka, the 2015 Smart Forfour) that will be available in 2014. In addition, a new, environmentally friendly liquid-paint shop will be built at the plant, replacing the old powder-paint shop and representing the largest individual project in the upgrade, requiring a cool 50 million euro.

For more details on Smart’s immediate future, check out the press release below.

Continue reading Smart celebrates 1.5 million Fortwo models built, prepares to upgrade factory

Smart celebrates 1.5 million Fortwo models built, prepares to upgrade factory originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vilner updates Smart Fortwo [w/videos]

Filed under: Aftermarket, Europe, Videos, Hatchback, Smart

2011 Vilner Smart fortwo

2011 Vilner Smart Fortwo – Click above for high-res image gallery

The 2011 Smart Fortwo, despite all its trying, is a car that needs all the help it can get. True, a big part of the car’s problem is that it just doesn’t make very much sense for the American market. That said, it’s underpowered, uninspiring to drive, terrifying on the highway, and not particularly efficient, given its size. It also features one of the worst transmissions in motoring.

Enter Vilner, a Bulgarian custom shop that has tried with some success to make the car just a little more appealing. Built for a Bulgarian businessman, the Vilner Smart Fortwo employs a design scheme the company has dubbed “square style.”

Inside and outside the car gets a square motif, which translates nicely into a completely redone interior featuring quilted upholstery. Outside, the car gets loud, oversize orange wheels and serious amounts of chrome. While Vilner takes the styling of the Smart to a new, supercar-aping level, the go bits have been left alone. Despite the lack of power adders, Vilner’s efforts have gone a long way to making the Fortwo a bit more appealing. Read the full press release and check out two videos after the jump.

Continue reading Vilner updates Smart Fortwo [w/videos]

Vilner updates Smart Fortwo [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 May 2011 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Kobe Bryant uses Smart Fortwo Brabus to catch art thief

Filed under: Budget, China, Marketing/Advertising, Hatchback, Smart, Celebrities

Kobe Bryant driving Smart Fortwo Brabus

Kobe Bryant saves the day in Smart Fortwo Brabus – Click above to watch the video after the jump

The Smart brand, looking for a sales lift in China, has enlisted the lanky likes of Kobe Bryant for its “Big, In The City” ad campaign. A newly released video has the internationally known NBA star assuming the role of a quick thinking/driving man of both style and action with a keen sense of aim.

With the aid of a shiny black Smart Fortwo Brabus that he – or perhaps a stunt double – throws around corners and through traffic, Kobe comes to the aid of a damsel in distress with flair as he chases down an art thief and utilizes his on-court abilities to administer a chase-ending coup de grâce.

The campaign will reportedly undertake a 25-city Chinese road trip, the highlight of which is an appearance by the Los Angeles Lakers star at a Smart customer party in July. Hit the jump for some Smart Brabus and Bryant action.

[Source: Advertising @ Chinasmack]

Continue reading Video: Kobe Bryant uses Smart Fortwo Brabus to catch art thief

Video: Kobe Bryant uses Smart Fortwo Brabus to catch art thief originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mirrored Smart Fortwo Electric Drive: Seven years of bad luck if you crash? [w/video]

Filed under: Coupe, Videos, Smart, Electric

disco-ball smart fortwo electric drive

Apparatjik rocks the disco-ball Smart Fortwo – Click above to watch video after the jump

What happens if you take a Smart Fortwo Electric Drive, add a disco-ball finish and then throw in Electriconic Rock group Apparatjik? You get the mirrored two-seater shown above, as well as a rather odd video featuring enough flashing lights to push epileptics into DEFCON 1.

The electric party-mobile is a one-off creation thought up by the Apparatjik crew. It’s a music group comprised of Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman, A-Ha guitarist/keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, Mew lead singer Jonas Bjerre and producer Martin Terefe. The car will be used in a film called Pixel City. It also has a starring role in an Apparatjik music video, which can be seen after the jump. Just don’t crash… that’s a lot of mirrors ripe for a shattering.

Gallery: Disco-ball Smart Fortwo

[Source: Daimler]

Continue reading Mirrored Smart Fortwo Electric Drive: Seven years of bad luck if you crash? [w/video]

Mirrored Smart Fortwo Electric Drive: Seven years of bad luck if you crash? [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Smart ForTwo Electric Drive to go on sale in early 2012

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Hatchback, Smart, Electric

Smart Fortwo Electric Drive

Smart ED – Click above for high-res image gallery

The second-generation Smart Fortwo Electric Drive (ED) is a limited (250 units available in the U.S.) test program model that Daimler will use to gauge consumer interest in battery-powered vehicles. Leasing the electrified Fortwo is costly, with payments ringing in at $599 a month for 48 months, plus $2,500 due at signing. Technically, the 2011 Smart ED is offered under the lease-only plan detailed above, but the automaker has listed its MSRP at $44,387.

Truth be told, we’re not shocked by the Smart ED’s lofty sticker price, nor are we put off by its astronomical lease rate. You see, this Fortwo ED is a limited run model and not a production electric vehicle.

But come January of 2012, the third-generation Fortwo electric, a production model, should hit the streets. By then, we’d hope that the automaker adjusts its pricing structure and offers the pint-sized electric at a more reasonable rate and, according to a report on Kicking Tires, a price drop seems to be part of Smart’s plans.

Lessees of the second-gen Fortwo ED will be eligible to upgrade to Smart’s electrified third-gen Fortwo when it hits the market and, unlike the automaker’s current battery-powered hatch, the upcoming model will be offered for both lease and purchase.

Gallery: Smart ED

Photos copyright (C)2010 Sebastian Blanco / AOL

[Source: Kicking Tires]

Smart ForTwo Electric Drive to go on sale in early 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Japan unwraps chocolate Smart ForTwo for Valentine’s Day

Filed under: Etc., Japan, Videos, Hatchback, Smart, Design/Style, Luxury

Chocolate Smart ForTwo by Q-Pot

Chocolate Smart ForTwo by Q-Pot – Click above to watch the video after the jump

In Japan, Christmas Eve is a romantic holiday during which couples eat special cakes. So what’s Valentine’s Day, then? An occasion for women to buy men chocolate, of course. Or chocolate cars, as the case may be.

Okay, so the Smart ForTwo you see above isn’t actually made of chocolate, it just looks that way. Specially prepared for the holiday by designer Tadaaki Wakamutsu of Japanese luxury jeweler/chocolatier Q-Pot, the unique Smart city car features a special chocolate-themed paint scheme. It’s priced at 2.36 million yen (equivalent to about $28k), which places it at a considerable premium over the standard Smart ForTwo’s 1.84 million yen MSRP ($22k) in Japan. Follow the jump to watch the video report, or head over to the Q-Pot website for a closer look.

[Source: Q-Pot via AP]

Continue reading Japan unwraps chocolate Smart ForTwo for Valentine’s Day

Japan unwraps chocolate Smart ForTwo for Valentine’s Day originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Jan 2011 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: 19 teenage girls cram into Smart ForTwo for new world record

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Hatchback, Smart

19 girls in a Smart Fortwo

19 girls in a Smart Fortwo – Click above to watch the video after the break

It’s the question that’s been racking the brains of the best and brightest the world over, and finally, we have an answer: 19. No, it’s not the answer to life, the universe and everything… it’s the number of teenage girls that have managed to cram themselves inside a Smart Fortwo in Pakistan.

Because you’re dying to know, we’ll gladly inform you that the previous record, set in Australia, saw 18 girls – crucially one fewer than 19 – poke and prod their way into a Fortwo. Naturally, the event was witnessed by representatives from the Guinness Book of World Records, so we can all expect to see the new record in the next installment of the group’s massive book of ridiculous achievements.

Video? Come on now, did you really have to ask? Find it after the break. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

[Source: ePakistanNews via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: 19 teenage girls cram into Smart ForTwo for new world record

Video: 19 teenage girls cram into Smart ForTwo for new world record originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hello Kitty wraps available for the Smart ForTwo

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Hatchback, Smart

Smart ForTwo

The Smart ForTwo gets its Hello Kitty on – Click above to enlarge

The Smart ForTwo and Hello Kitty… who thought it would’ve taken this long for those two to get together? Someone’s prayers have been answered with this, the two-seater wrapped in a vinyl flag of Sanrio’s 35-year-old Kitty that never stops being cute. This is just another addition to the 22 wraps already available via Smart’s Expressions program, and if it gets your attention, it comes in three flavors of its own. It’s certainly not for everyone, but if it’s for you, then follow the jump for all the info.

Gallery: Smart fortwo and Hello Kitty

[Source: Sanrio]

Continue reading Hello Kitty wraps available for the Smart ForTwo

Hello Kitty wraps available for the Smart ForTwo originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 23 Oct 2010 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No Pun: Smart builds cardboard ForTwo

Filed under: Concept Cars, Convertible, Budget, Europe, Paris Motor Show, Smart, Design/Style

Cardboard Smart ForTwo

Cardboard Smart ForTwo – Click above for high-res image gallery

Sometimes, the jokes write themselves. Artist Sarah Illenberger has partnered with Smart and the packing gurus at CD Cartondruck AG to build the world’s first ForTwo hemmed in high-quality reusable cardboard. Both the exterior and the interior of the car will be decorated with heaps of the recyclable material, and oddly enough, Smart says that it’s pulling the stunt to disprove the notion that its products aren’t disposable. We’re having a hard time wrapping our heads around that one. The project will also serve to highlight Smart’s infatuation with urban design.

Illenberger plans to use her experience producing art installations for the editorial departments of magazines like Style, Vanity Fair and The New York Times Magazine to create a unique look for the ForTwo. According to the press release, the car will come clad in a pixilated camouflage pattern called Eco-Flage. The creation will be on display at this year’s Paris Motor Show from September 28 to October 17. Hit the jump to see the full press release.

Gallery: Cardboard Smart ForTwo

[Source: Smart]

Continue reading No Pun: Smart builds cardboard ForTwo

No Pun: Smart builds cardboard ForTwo originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 25 Sep 2010 18:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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