2009 Smart Fortwo Brabus on 2040-cars

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Smart Forease+ adds a fabric roof to electric speedster concept

We aren't sure what the Smart Forease+ previews, if anything, but the 21-year-old microcar brand is bringing the diminutive concept to the Geneva Motor Show. This is an update on the Forease - no "+" - concept it debuted as last year's Paris Motor Show. The big change is that the Forease+ has a speedster-type roof, consisting of a hard fabric shell with a soft fabric cover. The removable roof in a "rough amber" color locks into the top rail of the chopped windscreen and at two openings on the rear corner. There's nowhere to store the fabric expanse inside the coupe, so going without means trusting the weather. As with last year's Forease, the Forease+ has no side or rear windows. Nor does it have any climate control; the vent housings remain, but they are filled with supplementary gauges like a battery charge display and a clock. With the supplemental roof, Smart says the Forearse+ is "more than suited to all weather conditions in cities." Not much else has changed from the last concept. The green highlights in the Paris example have turned to amber, such as in the front vents and the speaker grilles. The tri-LED headlights are exposed, no longer behind glass. The instrument panel is stitched up in amber Nappa leather. And the seat belts are illuminated. The Forease+ is based on the production Smart EQ, and we wish we could see something good coming from it. As the brand transitions to an all-electric lineup and figures out a future potentially without Renault, what's one to do with another impractical-looking exercise that "develops the predecessor's minimalistic idea?"

Smart Fortwo Cabriolet coming to Frankfurt Motor Show

We kinda-sorta already knew this, but at an event this week in Portland, OR, Smart USA executives officially confirmed that the new Fortwo Cabriolet will bow at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. The Fortwo and Forfour hardtop models have already been on sale in Europe for a few months, and the US-spec Fortwo hits dealerships at the end of September. The Brabus Fortwo will launch in the "middle of next year," according to Smart boss Dr. Annette Winkler. But for now, the full Brabus model will not come to the US. Instead, there will be a "Brabus Tailor Made" program that we'll be hearing more about soon. On the EV side, we know that a new Smart Electric Drive is in the works. Last we heard, it'll launch in early 2017, and Winkler's comments this week reconfirm that. The car will debut at the end of 2016, so US sales will likely commence early the following year. In the meantime, the current Smart ED will be sold alongside the brand-new model. We had a chance to sample the European-spec Smart Fortwo (and Forfour) earlier this year, and found it to be a vastly improved product overall. We'll have our full impressions of the US-spec car soon, so stay tuned.

Smart Vision EQ Fortwo is the future of autonomous city cars

By 2022, Mercedes-Benz will introduce at least 10 new electric or electrified models. Everything from large SUVs down to compact city cars from Smart are included. At the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany this September, Smart will show off the Vision EQ Fortwo concept, a fully autonomous vehicle focused on urban mobility and user customization. The car follows the Mercedes-Benz CASE corporate strategy, which includes connectivity (Connected), autonomous driving (Autonomous), flexible use (Shared & Services) and electric drive systems (Electric). That basic idea provides the framework for much of Mercedes' upcoming products. Smart had already announced that it was going all-electric in the U.S. This seems like a further evolution of that move. Smart sees the Vision EQ Fortwo as part of its Car2go car sharing service. The company claims that someone requests a new car from Car2go every 1.4 seconds. The autonomous technology will use swarm logic to determine when and where a car is likely to be needed before it's requested. That means shorter wait time after calling a ride. Cars will be requested using a mobile device. The large panel in the vehicle's front fascia displays a number of things, including whether the car is on its way to pick up a passenger or if there's an empty seat available. The two-seat configuration seems limiting, but Smart says it could select extra passengers based on user profiles and final destinations, potentially pairing passengers with similar interests. The Vision EQ Fortwo will use two lithium-ion battery packs with a total capacity of 30 kWh. The car can charge either with a plug or with inductive charging. When not in use, the Vision EQ Fortwo will autonomously find a charging spot. The swarm intelligence networks with other cars and will charge cars at certain times in order to minimize the pull on the power grid. The interior and exterior design feature a number of user adjustable elements, but the overall shape is very similar to the current Smart Fortwo. It's a short, upright two-seater focused on maximizing space in a small footprint. The doors are clear and pivot back and up over the rear wheels. (Think reverse scissor doors.) It's meant to save space and prevent situations such as opening a door into the path of a cyclist. There are rose gold accents on the bumpers and the wheels. White body panels are contrasted with dark tinted windows and displays.