2009 Smart Fortwo Brabus on 2040-cars

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Smart brand will be built in China as a Daimler-Geely joint

FRANKFURT/BEIJING — Daimler will build its next generation of Smart electric cars in China through a joint venture with Geely, as a way to increase economies of scale in a market segment that is struggling to turn a profit. China's Geely built a stake of almost 10 percent in Daimler last year, saying it wanted to forge an alliance to develop electric and self-driving cars to better compete against new challengers such as Uber and Google. Daimler said on Thursday it would build the next generation of Smart-branded city cars at a purpose-built factory in China, and planned to share its expertise in manufacturing, engineering and design with Geely. The high cost of electric car batteries has made it hard for automakers to build affordable zero-emissions vehicles, leading several of them to strike alliances with Chinese partners. Daimler's German rival BMW recently unveiled plans to build electric Minis in China, where production costs are low and demand for small electric cars is rising. Daimler and Geely did not disclose financial terms of their deal. The details of the joint venture will be finalized by the end of 2019, they said in a joint press release. Daimler currently develops and builds Smart cars with Renault at factories in France and Slovenia. The Daimler factory in Hambach, France, will be retooled to build Mercedes-Benz cars. Geely has been expanding rapidly through mergers and acquisitions since 2010, when it acquired Swedish carmaker Volvo from Ford. Last year, Daimler and Geely set up a ride-hailing joint venture in China. Daimler's Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche said last month the German carmaker was in talks to deepen its alliance with Geely after the Chinese's group's chairman Li Shufu bought a 9.69 percent stake in Daimler in 2018.

Smart jumps Fourjoy in Germany [w/video]

We've been waiting... and waiting... and waiting... for something new from Smart. Not another special edition of the Fortwo - even one with wings - can slake the brand's need for some fresh iron. Spy shots tell us that a couple of new models are on the way, but for now, we have this Smart Fourjoy concept, a buggy-like showcar that's said to preview the next-generation Forfour. Of course, unlike this concept, the production four-seater will come with full bodywork, but you're probably looking at a thinly veiled take on the the 2015 model's face and general proportions.
And while the production Forfour figures to come to market with gas and perhaps diesel offerings overseas, the Fourjoy borrows its motivation from the Fortwo Electric Drive - meaning a 55-kW electric motor backed by a 17.6-kWh lithium ion battery pack. We wouldn't be surprised if the next Forfour eventually gets a production EV model, but we wouldn't look for that at launch.
We're fine with all of this production-minded stuff, of course, but there's still something intriguing about the concept seen here. The Fourjoy sparks a latent curiosity within us that longs to see a fun-minded open-air beachmobile offered by a major automaker - something like a Fiat 500 Jolly or a Volkswagen Thing. Indeed, VW has been making noise about producing its Up! Buggy, but even if it doesn't, perhaps the company bold enough to produce the Smart ForJeremy will take a chance on getting some sand between its toes - provided it can negotiate crash testing.

E.U. executive conditionally approves Daimler, BMW car-sharing deal

BRUSSELS — The European Union's competition authority said on Wednesday it had approved the plan of German luxury carmakers Daimler and BMW to combine their car-sharing businesses, subject to conditions. Under the deal, which includes car-sharing units Car2Go and DriveNow as well as ride-hailing, parking and charging services, Daimler and BMW will each hold 50 percent stakes in a joint venture. They have offered concessions to address E.U. antitrust concerns over the deal they hope would let them better compete with U.S. rival Uber and China's Didi Chuxing. The European Commission has found the deal would raise competition concerns for free-floating car sharing services in Berlin, Cologne, Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Munich and Vienna. It said Daimler and BMW agreed to a remedy package in the six cities. "The commitments thus fully address the Commission's concerns as they will reduce the barriers to entry for competing free-floating car sharing providers," the Commission said in a statement. "Therefore the Commission concluded that the proposed transaction, as modified by the commitments, would no longer raise competition concerns. The Commission's decision is conditional upon full compliance with the commitments." Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska and Philip Blenkinsop. Related Video: