smart fortwo News
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Earlier this month the NHTSA revealed concerns about the safety of the new Smart ForTwo minicar after conducting a number of safety tests on it. The results showed that the ForTwo only had marginal passenger safety, and this was if the car was to be hit by a similar size vehicle – a near impossibility, statistically, on American roads. The IIHS has now undertaken its own tests on the ForTwo and a new video of the crash tests has leaked ahead of the results due next month. Check out the video below to see how it fares.
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Smart to sell fortwo in China by mid-2009
The speed of growth in the Chinese auto market is difficult to comprehend because the scale of it is beyond anything known in Europe or North America, especially coupled with China's record economic growth. To capitalize on the growing automobile craze in China, Daimler is sending its smart fortwo...
Nelson Ireson -
Crash tests show ForTwo not so smart
Incredible demand has created a waiting list for buyers trying to get their hands on a Smart ForTwo in its first year of official U.S. sales. Strong fuel efficiency, easy urban maneuverability and a very positive image have all contributed to the sales success, but now that the NHTSA's first round...
Nelson Ireson -
Smart unveils 'limited two' fortwo
Smart has unveiled its 'limited two' model at the Geneva Motor Show. The limited two is a special edition version of the Smart fortwo and will only be produced as a limited series of 2,000 units. The limited two will get a number of high quality upgrades to the exterior and interior, including...
Ralph Hanson -
Comeback Planned For Smart Forfour
The Smart brand has just been launched in the U.S. and with preorder sales already beating expectations Mercedes officials think it’s time to bring back the ForFour. The original model was quickly dropped from the Smart lineup following lackluster sales but with carmakers around the world...
Kenneth Hall -
Chinese Smart ForTwo knockoff stirs up Bologna
Martin Motors, the European importer of the Bubble, decided to show the car at Bologna - in the parking lot - despite a court order prohibiting its attendance. The import company argues that the 68hp 1.1L Bubble is substantially different from the Smart ForTwo: the Smart is rear-engine, rear-wheel...
Kenneth Hall -
Despite its diminutive size the Smart Fortwo supermini has achieved a four out of five star rating in the latest Euro NCAP’s Adult Occupant crash tests, putting it in par with some large sedans and SUVs in terms of occupant safety. The same can’t be said for pedestrian safety, where the tiny Fortwo scored only two stars. The tests include front, side and pedestrian impacts, and since the Fortwo has no rear seats it can’t be assessed for child protection. In the Front Impact test, the passenger cell remained stable during the impact. Structures in the dashboard presented a...
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Smart ForTwo creator plans second car
The man originally behind the concept of Smart cars, Swatch chairman Nicolas G. Hayek, has said he’s planning to build a new, greener car. Hayek's previous auto project, the Smart Fortwo, was originally designed as an all-electric vehicle. However, such technology was either not feasible or...
Nelson Ireson -
Smart Fortwo poses safety fears in US
DaimlerChrysler’s tiny Smart car is a popular model for tackling Europe’s tight inner-city streets and exorbitant fuel prices, but in the US, where it’s common to see 4,500 pound SUVs, fears are rising that the minicar won’t stand much of chance in a serious accident with...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Smart Fortwo to get stop-start technology
Daimler will be testing the waters with its own automatic stop-start fuel-saving technology when it introduces an updated Fortwo minicar later this year. Already introduced in several BMW models, the system works by automatically shutting down the engine when the car stands still in traffic and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BRABUS smart fortwo and Xclusive
Popular Mercedes Benz tuner BRABUS will be displaying two new modified versions of the second-generation smart fortwo at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. The German tuner managed to squeeze 98bhp (72kW) and 140Nm of torque from the fortwo’s three-cylinder turbo engine, delivering 30%...
Kenneth Hall -
Smart goes electric
Despite the disappointing sales of Smart globally, DaimlerChrysler is pushing ahead with its plan to equip the petite city cars with electric motors. The lightweight and small engines meant the gasoline-engined Smart cars were quite frugal, but the electric version, called a ForTwo Electric Drive...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran