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The Smart ForTwo hits the streets for the NYPD

Members of New York's Finest will soon have 250 shiny new police cars for patrolling the Big Apple. Rather than intimidating Chargers or Tahoes, the NYPD ordered up some police-spec Smart ForTwos. Though they aren't likely to instill fear when they appear in your rearview mirror, they're a smart (sorry) choice for the city streets and will likely be welcomed by the officers who will drive them. You see, these ForTwos are replacing some enclosed, three-wheeled motorcycles that are used for city patrols. The three-wheelers are pretty crude so the ForTwo is sure to bring a marked improvement in comfort, safety, and probably noise levels. The ForTwo's small size and 22.8-foot turning circle are sure to be handy on tight New York City streets. One big improvement is that these ForTwos have air conditioning, unlike the motorcycles. NYPD police officer Ralph Jefferson was quoted by Smart saying it's "spacious and agile and makes my job much easier." He also said that people find it to be cute. They're not wrong. Smart doesn't do much to bring the ForTwo up to police-spec. The company adds blue flashing lights on top and a police radio inside. Smart also gives the ForTwos the NYPD's iconic white and blue police livery so that it's instantly recognizable. So far, Smart has delivered 100 of the little police cars, with the rest due later. They may not be as exciting as Dubai's collection of hypercar police vehicles, but they should serve their purpose well. Related Video: Featured Gallery NYPD Smart ForTwo Image Credit: Daimler AG Auto News Weird Car News smart Coupe Police/Emergency police car fortwo new york police department

Geely and Mercedes-Benz invest $780 million to make electric Smart cars

BEIJING/SHANGHAI — Zhejiang Geely and Mercedes-Benz on Wednesday said they would each invest $388.77 million (2.7 billion yuan) in a China-based venture to build "premium and intelligent electrified" vehicles under the Smart brand. The 50:50 venture has received regulatory approval and will be based in the Chinese coastal city of Ningbo, the Chinese and German automakers said in a statement. Like Mercedes-Benz, smart is a Daimler marque. The venture will have manufacturing capacity in China and sales operations in China and Germany, the automakers said. Geely will lead in engineering the cars while Mercedes-Benz will take charge of their overall look, they said. The partners will each have three executives on the board of directors, with Geely's Tong Xiangbei becoming the venture's global chief executive. Geely has expanded rapidly through mergers and acquisitions since buying Sweden's Volvo in 2010 from U.S. parent Ford. In 2018, it built a stake of almost 9.7% in Daimler and set up a ride-hailing venture in China with the Stuttgart-based carmaker. Its latest announcement comes just over a month after China's Great Wall and Germany's BMW formed a venture to build electric Mini-branded cars in China, the world's biggest market for electrified vehicles where demand for smaller EVs is on the rise. Related Video:

Recharge Wrap-up: Will.i.am's custom Tesla, Mahindra's Formula E livery

Take a look at Will.i.am's custom Tesla Model S caught on video in the wild in Beverly Hills. The over-the-top body kit comes from Black Eyed Peas member's own so-called car company, IAMAUTO. The deep-dish wheels appear to recede into nothingness, and the placement of the handles gives away the car's suicide rear doors, which a valet opens slightly at one point in the video. Overall, the custom job gives the EV a wide, low, and extremely chunky look. The man behind the camera gets a good view from a variety of angles, though whether there is actually a good angle for this particular Tesla is up for debate. Check it out in the video above, and read more at Teslarati. 1,635 Smart cars traveled in a parade through Hamburg, Germany as part of Smart Times 2016. At the 16th such gathering of Smart enthusiasts and their vehicles, the group beat the former world record of 1,427 parading cars at Smart Times 2014 in Cascais, Portugal. In addition to meeting with like-minded fans and showing off their fuel-sipping and electric runabouts, Smart Times attendees had the opportunity to test drive new models, talk to designers and tuners, enjoy live music, and meet beach volleyball players Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst, who arrived in a golden Smart Fortwo Cabriolet. There will be yet another opportunity to set a new record next year, when the Smart community will descend upon Salou, Spain. Read more from Daimler. ChargePoint is offering 10 percent off its ChargePoint Home EV charger. In honor of National Drive Electric Week, the deal on the 32-amp charging station is good until September 18, 2016. ChargePoint Home comes in hardwired and plug-in versions with either an 18- or 25-foot cable, and is for sale on Amazon. Read more from ChargePoint. Mahindra Racing has new livery for the third season of Formula E. The livery for the team's M3Electro racecar debuted at Donington Park for the first round of preseason testing. Mahindra held an online contest called #DrivenByDesign to choose its new look, with the winning design created by Spanish artist Adria Haro Jorba. Pininfarina Chief Designer Fabio Filippini chose Haro Jorba's design, which visualizes the car's aerodynamics and makes use of India's national colors. Learn more in the press release from Mahindra Racing.