Paul Tan's Automotive News » smart

smart for-us concept – the tiny tyke plays pocket pickup

Anthony Lim — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:53:41 +0000

It’s called the smart for-us, and it’s a tongue-in-cheek take on what an urban pickup should really look like. The tiny tot, which debuted in Detroit, measures in at 3.54 metres long, 1.5 metres wide and 1.7 metres tall, making it an absolute dwarf compared to a typical American pickup.

The concept EV’s drive system is based on the smart fortwo electric drive’s, with a 55 kW magneto-electric motor being provided juice by a 17.6 kWh lithium-ion battery. Performance specs include 130 Nm of torque and a 120 km/h top speed.

Design-wise, the for-us exterior features convex and, as the company puts it, sensuously shaped body surfaces. The large brand emblem is proudly sported on the grille, and the front has a pronounced three-dimensional design with an under-ride guard finishing off the lower part of the front end.

At 2.48 metres long, the wheelbase is 613 mm more than the fortwo’s, and the track has also been widened by 50 mm on each side to help emphasise the robust look of the study. At the same time the extremely short overhangs at the front and rear make it exceedingly compact.

The tailboard at the rear of the smart for-us is electrically driven. When it opens, the cargo floor – including tailboard – retracts by 280 mm, and then the tailgate slides down in a parallel position, allowing easy access to the load on the 900 mm cargo area.

Inside, the for-us features sleek, taut surfaces in mother-of-pearl white, with its technical functional elements finished in brushed aluminum to provide contrast. Meanwhile, the seat shells, which are open in the middle, are covered with a soft yellow fabric throw, giving them a hammock-like seating feel.

Rather smartly, in place of a conventional rear-view mirror, the smart for-us features a smartphone accommodated in a holder on top of the instrument panel support, allowing the driver to see what’s happening on the road behind with the help of an integrated video camera.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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smart fortwo electric drive on display at 1 Utama

Anthony Lim — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:07:52 +0000

No, it’s not available commercially in Malaysia, and even if it was, it would easily cost more than a C 250 CGI. The smart fortwo electric drive seen here is actually making a stopover in the country – the Singaporean-based vehicle is in town courtesy of its appearance at the recent 1st Malaysian-German Sustainable Automotive Mobility Conference 2011, which was organised by the Malaysian German Chamber of Commerce.

You can however catch the car in the metal, if that be your sort of thing, over the weekend – the fortwo electric drive is on display at the Highstreet zone of 1 Utama shopping centre, and it’ll be there until Sunday.

A bit about the car, for those who don’t know what it’s all about yet. The second-generation fortwo electric drive is equipped with a 30 kW permanent magnet motor offering 120 Nm of torque, and driven by a single-speed fixed gear ratio transmission.

The car’s water-cooled 16.5 kWh lithium-ion battery, which is housed between the axles and occupies the space where the fuel tank is located in a conventional fortwo, is good enough to give it an operating range of 135 km. Which won’t quite take you from KL to KLIA and back, but ample enough for light-duty in-town use.

The 148 kg battery – made by Tesla Motors – has a full recharge time of eight hours, juiced via a household socket, but if you only need to do around 30-40 kilometres of travelling a day, the vehicle only needs to be charged for three hours.

And if you putter around at the average 25 to 30 km/h that smart says is normal in city traffic, the fortwo electric drive can go for around four to five hours continuously before it needs to be recharged.

Other performance figures for the 890 kg rear-wheel drive fortwo include a 0-50 km/h (yes, you read right, half a century) time of 5.8 seconds (or if you prefer, a 0-60 km/h time of 6.5 seconds) and a maximum speed of 100 km/h.

As you’d expect, due to the cost and supporting infrastructure limitations, there aren’t that many fortwo electric drives about – the few thousand examples worldwide are in the hands of selected customers, with leases offered for a period of four years and 60,000 kilometres. In the case of this example, it’s part of a EV case study being conducted by the Singaporean government.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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Nissan-derived four-door Smart for USA plan scrapped!

Paul Tan — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 02:20:53 +0000

Daimler AG has scrapped plans to sell a smart-badged B-segment car in the US based on a Nissan. We first heard news of this plan in October last year where it was reported that Smart USA had signed a MOU with Nissan to collaborate on a new vehicle for the US market. There were even sketches of a car that looked like a Nissan Micra with smart styling.

Mercedes-Benz USA also announced that it would be handling the smart brand itself in the USA from now on, taking over distributorship of the brand from dealer Penske. This is in line with Daimler AG’s global integration of Smart into its Mercedes-Benz cars unit since September last year, with Smart USA being the last country where it has remained separate until now.

But the real reason for the integration of Smart until MB Cars is to help with the upcoming tighter Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards to be implemented in the USA in 2016. CAFE is a strange regulation in the US that averages the fuel economy of all models sold by a company. CAFE is currently at 30.2mpg but in 2016 it will be 39.0mpg.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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smart fortwo lightshine edition – tarting up tiny, again!

Anthony Lim — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 04:11:17 +0000

You’d figure that something already as cute as a button doesn’t really need to be transmogrified, but why deprive good marketing when the opportunity presents itself? Case in point – the smart fortwo cdi, which now comes in a special limited run called the lightshine edition.

It’s based on the passion coupé model, and exterior-wise, the lightshine edition gets a combination of light green matte body panels, LED daytime running lights, colour coded headlamp bezels, ‘lightshine’ badging and new pulse three-double spoke alloys in an exclusive paint finish.

As for the interior, the lightshine gets new upper dashboard and glovebox designs along with improved materials and new fabric pattern. The passion model’s high line navigation system is to be found here, with a new larger touchscreen, CD/DVD/SD functionality and iPod interface in the mix.

Other dress up items include a sporty three-spoke steering wheel with paddle shifters and floor mats with the ‘lightshine’ logo. Just 86 of these cars are destined for the UK market, all equipped with the 54 hp cdi engine and softip transmission of the pulse version.

Gallery after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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Look what the cat dragged in – the Hello Kitty smart fortwo

Anthony Lim — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 02:49:12 +0000

Now, why be content with a mere pencil/lunch box or backpack when you can have a car that shows the world just how much you love this particular Japanese feline?

Yes, if you happen to own a smart fortwo, you can now express your love for Hello Kitty in much bigger fashion, with nothing less than a car wrap that screams kitty kat all the way.

smart USA has been offering a series of different vehicle wraps, which are made of 3M vinyl, through its smart Expressions customisation program launched a few months ago. Now, it has teamed up with Sanrio to offer Hello Kitty vehicle wraps for the car.

Three different full body wrap designs (named Hello Kitty Everywhere, Hello Kitty Peeking and Hello Kitty Happy), each with a selection of colour schemes, are available, in addition to a series of partial wrap designs and colours.

In total, there are 22 full and partial wrap design and colour combinations from which to choose, so you can go ga ga with this cat the way you fancy, in the process transforming the cute car into a supercute one, for some at least. I’d like to see how many guys will be caught dead in one of these.

Gallery after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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Smart to sell a Nissan-derived B-segment car in the US

Jacob Alexander — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 06:46:20 +0000

Smart USA has announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Nissan on the collaboration of a new vehicle for sale in the US market. The car, a five-door, B-segment gasoline engine model derived from Nissan, is expected to go on sale in late 2011.

The sketches provide an inkling as to what the future model, which will be built on a new global platform in one of Nissan’s factories in the US, might look like. “The new vehicle will expand smart USA’s product lineup, offering five-seat capacity while maintaining the core principles of efficiency and conservation,” said smart USA president Jill Lajdziak.

This looks to be the first step in the broad cooperation plan Smart’s parent company Daimler and the Renault-Nissan alliance have planned, as an interim before new products fully jointly developed by Daimler, Nissan and Renault arrive in the market in 2013.

High resolution pictures after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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Smart releases offcial pictures of their escooter concept

Jacob Alexander — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 04:04:39 +0000

Smart has just released official pictures of their escooter concept. Looks wise, it sports LED lights, solar cells and a green/white paint scheme. The scooter uses a 48-volt lithium ion battery pack, which gives it an approximate range of 100 kilometres over a single charge. When juice does run out, a normal household socket could be used to recharge the batteries.

In terms of performance you can expect the scooter to reach a top speed of 45km/h, as it is driven by a disc shaped wheel hub motor in the rear wheel with an output of 4kW/5.3hp. Apart from the powertrain, Smart say that the chassis structure is based on the tridion safety cell of the Smart Fortwo”, with the use of swappable plastic body panels.

Other features available with the Smart escooter are anti lock brakes, Blind Spot Assist and an airbag that is tucked under the handle bar paneling. Just like the Mini E Scooter, the Smart escooter also has a compartment for an iPhone. It replaces the normal instrument panel and gives you speed, range, battery status and it can also act as a navigation system. An image gallery is available after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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Daimler to use Renault-Nissan electric vehicle tech

Danny Tan — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 02:27:18 +0000

Here are some updates on the collaboration between Daimler and the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Back in April when the partnership was announced, the stated scope was focussed on small car development and engine sharing (read our previous post here). In a recent interview with Reuters, Thomas Weber, Head of Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, has confirmed that the German carmaker will broaden the partnership with Renault-Nissan into electric vehicle (EV) development.

The goal is to cut costs by building scale. “We won’t be able to meet the target of 95 grams CO2 in 2020 without electric vehicles with batteries and fuel cells,” Weber was quoted as saying, adding “it won’t be easy to then also earn money with these cars.”

Besides that, the partnership will birth a shared RWD architecture for the next smart fortwo, a new smart four-seater and the next-gen Renault Twingo. The first of these cars will roll out from 2013 with the smart plant in France building the two-seater versions and the Renault plant in Slovenia building the four-seater variant. It was announced that there will be EV versions.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is one of the main movers of EVs in the motoring world. They have invested an estimated €4 billion into the field and have plans to launch up to eight EVs in at least five key segments – starting with the Nissan Leaf, which will be delivered to European customers early next year. US allotment for the car has been fully spoken for. Next in line are the Renault Fluence ZE saloon and Kangoo Express ZE in mid 2011.

Alliance boss Carlos Ghosn is very bullish about EVs, saying that they will comprise 10% of all car sales within a decade, and they’re expecting to build 500,000 plug ins by 2012.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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MINI and Smart to unveil electric scooter concepts in Paris

Jacob Alexander — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 05:48:37 +0000

Scooters seem to the in thing at Smart and BMW-owned MINI, as they both announced the presentation of electric models in Paris, at the end of the month.

Along with a few sketches of the concept electric model, MINI has revealed plans of showcasing the scooters in three different trims. One will even feature a design similar to the MINI E project, their plug-in electric Cooper.

No other details about the scooter have been released, but speculation has pointed to the use of lithium ion batteries in MINI’s bikes.

Similarly, apart from a few sketches of their scooter concept, Smart has revealed very little of its electric concept. We’ll definitely keep you updated as more information is released at the Paris show. Look after the jump for more pictures.

MINI E Scooter

Smart Electric Scooter

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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Brabus Ultimate High Voltage Concept: “tuned up” electric smart fortwo

Paul Tan — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:59:56 +0000

The Brabus Ultimate High Voltage Concept is basically a Brabusified electric smart fortwo, and despite the word concept in its name its actually supposed to be very close to production, though the name might change.

Though they call it “Ultimate”, I think it could probably get better than this because a 0 to 100km/h acceleration time of 9.8 seconds is decent but hardly what you’d call sporty.

The electric motor puts out 82 horsepower and a peak torque 280Nm of torque right from zero revolutions. Such is the characteristics of electric drives that you might as well drop the word peak from the phrase peak torque.

Look after the jump for a full photo gallery of the electric smart.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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Renault to help smart with next generation forfour

Paul Tan — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 01:30:26 +0000

Mercedes-Benz’s platform partner for its next smart car set for a 2013 debut will be Renault. “It’s a key component in plans to grow the Smart brand. We’re looking to diverge into other potentially lucrative market segments, and not only in Europe but on a worldwide basis, including North America,” said a Mercedes-Benz official to ANE.

Renault will be supplying smart a platform for a new four-seater smart (effectively a replacement for the smart forfour) and the word is that it will be a modified version of the Clio II platform that underpins the Renault Twingo, though I would have thought the Renault-Nissan B platform (Clio III, Latio, Logan, etc) would be more suitable in size for a smart forfour replacement.

The smart forfour was a hatchback based on the Mitsubishi Colt and was produced at Mitsubishi’s Dutch NedCar plant. Who knows, we could also see an electric version using technology from the Nissan Leaf.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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Electric smart fortwo to enter small series production after positive trial

Paul Tan — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:48:54 +0000

Daimler has confirmed that it will put the smart fortwo electric drive into small series production after a successful 100 car UK trial involving the Metropolitan Police, universities, local councils, architects and energy companies. The trial involved select customers leasing the vehicle for 4 years at a monthly cost of £375.

The smart fortwo electric drive is powered by a 30kW electric motor built by Zytek. It runs on a single gear transmission and smart claims that cost-wise, it is able to achieve the equivalent of 300mpg. You charge it via a regular 3-pin plug as it has its own own-board charger. 0 to 60km/h takes 6.5 seconds, which isn’t very sluggy at all actually but because it only has a single gear ratio, top speed is limited to more or less 100km/h.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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Smart to unveil Edition Limited Three in Geneva

Harvinder Sidhu — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 04:27:45 +0000

Mercedes-owned fuel efficient auto maker; Smart has announced that it will launch the Smart fortwo Edition Limited Three in Geneva, Switzerland. This new limited edition model which is finished in Melon Metallic Green and powered by a 71HP engine is offered both coupe and cabriolet forms.

It also features micro hybrid drive (mhd) technology which is basically an engine start/stop system to further improve its fuel efficiency. The tiny power plant shuts down when the driver brakes and when the vehicle’s speed falls below 8 km/h. It will then restart when as soon as the driver releases the brake pedal.

This helps reduce fuel consumption to only 4.4 litre (4.5 for cabriolet) for every 100 kilometers traveled, which accounts for 20% reduction with the start/stop technology. It also produces only 106 grams of emission per kilometer.

Other features included with the Edition Limited Three with soil-coloured interior; 15 inch alloy wheels in a sporty 6-spoke design, aluminium-effect “limited three” logos in the mirror triangle, automatic temperature control, instrument panel featuring dark brown leather-effect details, 3-spoke sports steering wheel with steering wheel gearshift, and for the coupé, a panoramic roof with sunblind.

The Smart fortwo Edition Limited Three costs 15,470 Euros as a coupe and 18,510 Euros as a cabriolet. Continue reading to view two more images of the interior.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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Daimler to introduce two electric cars in 2010

Paul Tan — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 02:35:45 +0000

Daimler AG is planning to launch two electric vehicles in 2010 – an electric-powered smart and an electric-powered Mercedes-Benz. These electric vehicles will be powered by batteries, but a limited run of fuel-cell powered vehicles will also be introduced in 2010.

You can expect these vehicles to be smaller models such as the next generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class or whichever vehicle replaces the A-Class as we know it in Mercedes-Benz’s model line-up.

There is currently a batch of 100 electric-powered smart fortwos crunning in the UK, modified by Zytek Electric Vehicles. It is called the smart ed (ed = electric drive). These are powered by a 30kW (41 horsepower) electric motor at the rear, with sodium-nickel chloride batteries. It can travel a maximum of 110km on a full charge, and can charge up from 30% to 80% in four hours, or 100% in eight hours. It goes to a top speed of 120km/h.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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Brabus Ultimate 112: special edition smart fortwo

Paul Tan — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 20:48:52 +0000

The BRABUS ULTIMATE 112 is a special edition 112 unit run of the drop top smart fortwo powered by a 112 PS inline-3 turbocharged engine with 150Nm of torque between 2,800 to 4,200rpm mounted at the rear of the car. Equipped with a Brabus Widestar bodykit and 18 inch Brabus Monoblock VI wheels, It is available in a single special edition colour, a metallic pearlescent orange.

Other than engine and bodyworks, the BRABUS ULTIMATE 112 also gets a height-adjustable Brabus coil-over suspension, a stainless steel dual tailpipe sports exhaust system, and a Brabus colour-coordinated interior chock full of Brabus emblems featuring black Brabus Mastik leather with orange seams. 0 to 100km/h takes 9.5 seconds and top speed is electronically limited to 170km/h.

More photos after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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Cycle & Carriage Bintang Carnival & Road Show

Paul Tan — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 19:01:23 +0000

If you’re free with nothing to do this weekend, you’re spoiled for choice for events to attend! Other than Auto Eurokars’ event, you also have Cycle & Carriage Bintang’s promotions in the Klang Valley. There will be Cycle & Carriage Bintang Carnivals at both CCB’s Lot 9, Jalan 219 showroom along the Federal Highway, as well as the CCB Mazda Showroom at Jalan Ampang from 10am to 5pm. The Lot 9 Carnival will have refreshments. You’ll be able to take a pick from a wide range of well-maintained Mercedes-Benz and smart company cars, demonstrator units, showroom models and pre-owned vehicles – Mercedes Benz A, C, E, and S-class as well as smart demo cars. The demo cars are attractively priced and in mint condition, complete with the latest registration, full after-sales facilities and fast delivery. Up to 90% financing, up to 9 years is also available.

There is also a road show being held at The Street in by far the classiest shopping mall The Curve, Mutiara Damansara from the 15th December to 17th December 2006, from 10am to 10pm. All latest models are being displayed with discount prices just for visitors of the roadshow. Also, the smart cars are being sold at CCB staff price. There are also door gifts upon test drive enrollment.

For more information, contact Cycle & Carriage Bintang Berhad – PJ Autohaus ( 03â€“7872 8000), Mutiara Damansara (03-7727 3213), Ampang (03-2144 9999), Johor Bahru (07-238 2299), Ipoh (05-506 4266)

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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5th Gear smart fortwo Crash Test

Paul Tan — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 03:36:50 +0000

Despite how the smart fortwo looks like it’s a disaster waiting to happen during accidents, smart says that it’s actually safe because of the use of a solid steel “Tridion” frame, left visible at the exterior as a major design element. While on paper it looks alright, but how does the smart fortwo perform in real life crash tests? 5th Gear decided that an experiment was long due… video after the jump!

Video: 5th Gear smart fortwo Crash Test

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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smart forfun2

Paul Tan — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 16:34:56 +0000

Most of you associate smart cars with tiny little toy cars which don’t look like they belong on highways at all. This is something outrageous – introducing the smart forfun2! While there were talks about an SUV smart car called the smart formore, that project never materialised. Instead, here you have a concept car called the smart forfun2. It’s hard to put the smart forfun2 and the word tiny in the same sentence.

It was developed by 4X4 Rally Race champion Stefan Attart using a Mercedes Benz Unimog 406, which is actually a really huge truck. The Unimog 406 is given a smart fortwo body and a 5,675cc six-cylinder diesel engine. Ever wondered what those huge monster truck-style wheels actually measure? They’re 26 inches wheels with 140cm diameter tyres. Ground clearance is a high 65cm, while the entire smart forfun2 is 3.7 meters tall.

More photos after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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smart roadster Test Drive Report

Paul Tan — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 11:51:26 +0000

Just last month contributor Dr. S.P. Long tested the Brabus K4, somewhat of an uncle-car which just so happens to have the ability to go faster than the average E200K.

Since the tuned Mercedes-Benz E200K report drew so much of flak of still being an old mans car, Dr. S.P. Long has decided to visit this â€˜old chaps garage and check out his other boring and conservative ride.

Enter the smart roadster, a small two-seater, rear engined, rear wheel drive roadster by the same people who brought you the E200K. Let’s have a look at how the smart roadster performs in an uncle’s hands.

Report by Dr. S.P. Long.

See this in your rear-view mirror and it wont be for long!

To say that his next car is boring: gosh! Its another DaimlerChrysler AG product. Owned by the uncle himself â€“ what else? It is by Mercedes-Benz, so likely conservative too. Blue colour: possibly looking drab. Small cc engine with turbo: pointless. Handling: BMW will surely beat the heck out of this. Non-AMG version: not an M5 worthy opponent, a â€œpoor mansâ€ Mercedes.

Well to be specific, I had a taxi-ride in this roadster of Mr. Peter Lee. This little smart flies and yet hugs tarmac. Paradoxical? You bet. The uncle you guys mentioned was so maniacal on the road; he was weaving in and out of traffic at 140plus km/h! I was hanging for my dear life because it felt like 200km/h. Exhilarating yet feeling safe. The roadster felt ever so tightly screwed together and planted on the road. And oh so agile and nimble! Ride was firm, a little choppy at times but not uncomfortable. I am not at liberty to mention where we did the â€˜Bad Boys run but it was atop and across a very famous landmark up north.

Tridion cage in metallic silver.

This was after I took a leisurely drive in his RM145k smart roadster. The wind in your hair feeling was just so: Priceless. Mind you, he didnt purchase this car using a popular brand of credit card. Admittedly, with the fabric roof retracted back, we had let in a lot of noise and the occasional diesel fumes too. All are however forgiven since it was just lovely hearing the roar of the turbocharged engine â€“ mounted in the rear. ICE upgrades? Dont bother. This car has a soundtrack of its own!

Handling is just so go-kart like. You can just point and shoot this little baby. Cornering lines are ever so faithfully taken. Steering is really sharp and incisive. Nicely weighted and fairly communicative – or was it just lesser rack feedback sensed since there were so many other distractions to saviour? Yes, NVH becomes nicely receptive and sensational in this rag-top. I must have gone mad saying this about noise in your ears, vibration felt through the canvas top and certain road harshness rippling through your butt & spine. It may be drums for the rear wheels, but stopping power is never found to be wanting, likely because of the low kerb weight of 790kg.

The small engine (698cc to be exact) is ever so willing and watching the boost gauge swing in the car reminds you of how responsive the turbine is to your right foot. I will not detail the innards of the car because its just spartan, functional and fun! The manual selections of gears by paddles have to be done â€˜lift and shift pattern because it would get jerky if you are relentless on the throttle. This is no DSG but it works fine, much like the smart forfour. Leaving the automated manual to its own devices, I found it to be quicker on the go. Well, maybe youd need to hold a gear or two for B-roads drive, so the manual shifters are not all gimmicky.

Simple alloys but sporty.

I was just wondering if all these Road Runner (remember that famous cartoon?) zipping actions could be just a deception. The smarts diminutive size and open-top feeling may have contributed to the rocketing pick-up of speed. Getting back into my â€˜uncle standard E200 Kompressor the next day, I found myself trailing the roadster ever so distantly during a drive over to Ferringhi Beach. Must be the advantageous power-to-weight ratio, I reckoned.

Well, so much for two old guys day out in one of the uncles other car. Until my next contribution (hint: review of another conservative make), keep an open mind guys!

Chunky rear-end misleading of its actual size. Owner ran off: camera shy!

Sorry! No golf bags allowed. Just some snorkeling gears maybe. Tridion cell (in silver) surrounds front bonnet.

Little blown â€˜monster sits at the back.

Simplicistic interior. Note turbo boost gauge almost hidden behind wheel rim.

Engine idles high when cold. Paddle shifters lurking behind steering wheel.

The Mercedes played catch-up with the roadster.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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Smart ForTwo Crash Test

Paul Tan — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 05:29:10 +0000

Ever wonder how the Smart ForTwo would fare in a car accident? Sure the car looks small and fragile, but apparently it has good passenger protection because of it’s Safety Cell unibody. An independant German team did an experiment, orchestrating a simple head-on collision between a Smart ForTwo and a Mercedes Benz S-Class to see what would happen. What I really want to see though is a collision between a Smart ForTwo and an SUV. Video after the jump.

Video: Smart ForTwo VS. Mercedes Benz S-Class

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Smartuki – Smart ForTwo with Suzuki GSXR1000 superbike engine

Paul Tan — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 07:01:37 +0000

Peter Bee, a Smart car enthusiast wanted somemore power out of his little Smart ForTwo. The original Mitsubishi engine in the Smart ForTwo made about 60hp, and through some tweaking he managed to get this up to 100hp. But it wasn’t enough for him.

He approached Z Cars, a kit car company specialising in putting motorcycle engines into cars. Z Cars had put Yamaha R1 engines into Mini Coopers. They seemed like the right people for the job. He also approached Phil Seton of Seton Racing, who provided a personally tweaked Suzuki GSXR1000 engine (stuff like Yoshimura exhausts, etc) which made a maximum of 180hp, screaming all the way up to 13,500rpm. The engine was mounted at the rear of the car. The result was called the Smartuki, a mash of the names Smart and Suzuki of course.

The Smartuki goes from 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds, does the 400 meter dash in 12.4 seconds and tops out at 213km/h. There are two videos of this monster after the jump. The pocket rocket sounds like an F1 car on the track… enjoy!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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Smart Roadster lives on

Paul Tan — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 14:39:18 +0000

In one of my previous posts I mentioned DaimlerChrysler’s efforts to restructure and replan Smarts business model, a company which has not turned a profit in almost 8 years. Casualties of the restructuring operation includes the Smart formore SUV and it was rumoured that the Smart Roadster would also be scrapped after it’s production ended at the end of 2005.

Although Smart will not be producing the Smart Roadster anymore, you will still be able to see it around as DaimlerChrysler has sold the rights and production equipments of the Smart Roadster to a British consortium called Project Kimber. Project Kimber was originally formed to bid for MG, but it lost out in that deal to Nanjing Automobiles.

So the Smart Roadster lives on, though I’m not sure if it will be still called the same name. Maybe Project Kimber will license the name too.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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Mitsubishi to supply new engines to Smart

Paul Tan — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 04:45:15 +0000

Mitsubishi Motors and Smart gmbh have signed an agreement where Mitsubishi will supply its next generation normally aspirated and turbocharged small-capacity engines to smart to be used in the successor to the Smart Fortwo model due in 2007.

This same engine will be used in the Mitsubishi i minicar. The Mitsubishi i will be available in January 2006. The engines will be produced at Mitsubishi’s engine plant in Mizushima. According to spec sheets of the concept, it’s powered by a 3-cylinder turbocharged MIVEC engine, so likely that and a normally aspirated version would be supplied to smart.

This deal will help ailing Mitsubishi Motors Corporation realize better economies of scale for the new minicar engine series, lowering costs per unit.

Source

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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2007 Smart formore

Paul Tan — Sat, 01 Oct 2005 06:49:51 +0000

Everyone is into the SUV craze and so is Smart, the small car manufacturer division of Daimler Chrysler. Wikipedia says the Smart formore was supposed to be an SUV based on the same platform as the Mercedes Benz C-class, sharing an architecture that would be used for a future Mercedes Benz MLK-class. But some other sources have said it’s built up from the Smart Forfour chassis which was based on the 2003 Mitsubishi Colt.

The Smart formore would have followed Smart’s classic body styling – interchangeable plastic body panels on a steel frame. The SUV was to be powered by Mitsubishi’s 4G15 1.5 petrol unit, which was also used in the Brabus-tuned version of the Smart forfour.

The project was scrapped as part of DaimlerChrysler’s efforts to restructure and replan Smart’s business model. Smart had not turned a single profit in almost 8 years. The new business model plans to make Smart break-even by 2007. Other casualties as part of the new model was the Smart Roadster. It’s production is to be halted at the end of 2005.

IMHO they should have named the Smart roadster as Smart foreplay

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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Smart’s not so smart transmission

Paul Tan — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 20:12:58 +0000

Kel over at Kel’s Konfused Konscience reviews the Smart’s Smart Forfour that comes with an automated manual transmission.

A snippet from his post:

To get a better idea of how it feels like to drive a Smart, you have to imagine driving a manual car with a rugby player sitting behind you. Just when you are about to change gears, the rugby player kick you in the head, and then your brain starts to spill out from your ears. And then it happens over and over again until you reach the sixth and final gear.

God forbid should you ever decide to stop on a slope, because this car rolls back the moment the brakes are let go, and it takes a second before the transmission wakes up and transfers power to the wheels. You would’ve already reversed into the car behind you, by which the dude would’ve introduced you to his fist, because you’re now apparently a dumb ass driver who own a car which looks like a frog.

Read his full review at his post “Smart is rather stupid.”

I hope the Proton Savvy’s Automated Manual Transmission option does not exhibit such behaviour as described by Kel, since both are manual transmissions with a computer activated clutch. It would be a disaster if it did. A real disaster, and it would seal the Savvy’s death as another failure.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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EDAG Show Car No 8

Paul Tan — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 16:28:49 +0000

EDAG Engineering + Design AG presents this car at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2005. It’s known as the EDAG Show Car No. 8.

The car is built on a SMART Roadster platform, with the base internals kept but only exterior components altered. It is an open top, not a convertible. Perfect for track days I guess.

EDAG wants to show that you can create a unique and innovtive product just by altering exterior components.

As for specs, it is identical to the SMART Roadster as there are only exterior changes. The car is powered by a 698cc suprex 3 cylinder turbo engine that’s mounted at the back of the car. The engine itself weighs only 60kg. It makes 60kW at 5250rpm and 110Nm torque at 2250-4500rpm. Fuel consumption is a combined cycle of 5.1 litres per 100km.

EDAG is still developing the car and plans to show an on-the-road prototype at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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Smart Forfour in Malaysia

Paul Tan — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 03:59:16 +0000

DaimlerChrysler Malaysia is set to go after the premium compact car segment, intending to capture 35-40% of the segment with the new Smart Forfour.

The Smart Forfour comes in 1.3 and 1.5 litre variants and they are priced at RM101,931.15 and RM116,918.25 respectively.

The Smart Fortwo did not really do very well as Malaysian’s tastes in the compact car segment is not really suited to two-door or two-seater cars. The high price of the Fortwo did not really justify being able to bring only the driver and a passanger around.

The new Smart Forfour would be able to compete with the Honda Jazz and Suzuki Swift who have proven that the four-door four-seater formula works in the premium compact car segment.

The Smart Forfour’s 1.3 petrol engine makes 95hp and the 1.5 litre engine makes 109hp. These figures are ample to give the Smart forfour a zippy driving experience. There are also turbodiesel variants. Fuel consumption is rated at 5.9 litres per 100km, and service intervals are every 20,000km or roughly 12 months. Economical!

The car also comes with safety features like dual frontal airbags and dual side airbags. It also comes with ESP stability control and an anti-lock braking system. The car also has a panoramic sunroof.

A unique feature belonging to both the Smart forfour and Smart fortwo is the owner exchangeable body panels. There are 18 different colour combinations to choose from. Kind of like Nokia’s Xpress-On covers for their handphones. The owner can change the panels to whatever colour they want themselves in the comfort of their garage.

I’ve already seen the Smart forfour in Malaysia in SS2 on Saturday night. Managed to snap a picture of it. It looked really cute, but the dual-colours of the body panels gives it a unique look and needs a little getting used to for me.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 07:53:08 +0000.

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