2012 Smart Fortwo Passion on 2040-cars

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Daimler cutting Mercedes and Smart prices by 18% in Switzerland

Automakers including Daimler and PSA are now offering substantial discounts in Switzerland to make it more affordable for Swiss customers to buy their cars, according to the latest from Bloomberg. The move, instituted by two of Europe's largest automakers, comes in response to the surprise decision last week by the Swiss National Bank to suddenly abandon its longstanding policy of capping trading of the Swiss Franc to 1.20 francs per euro. The policy has sent the value of the franc soaring, making imports into Switzerland less expensive while increasing the value of its exports. The discounts being offered by the automakers could therefore be viewed more as price adjustments to better match the changing currency value rather than an actual incentive. But whichever way you look at it, a new Mercedes or Smart will now cost Swiss buyers 18 percent less than the list price, while Peugeot and Citroen dealers in the Confoederatio Helvetica are chopping 1,000 francs ($1,144) off the price of a new passenger car or 1,500 francs ($1,716) for a new commercial vehicle. Conversely, high-end Swiss watchmakers like Rolex and Patek Philippe are looking at increasing their prices to keep up with the currency fluctuation, particularly in Japan, where the yen has dropped 17 percent against the franc in the past few days. News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Sandro Campardo/Keystone/AP Mercedes-Benz smart Car Buying Citroen Peugeot switzerland

Smart ForTwo outruns police in Phoenix ... well, not exactly outruns

Well, this happened. A man was arrested after he led police on a long chase through metropolitan Phoenix in a silver Smart ForTwo, a car with 89 horsepower and a top speed of 96 mph. Worst getaway car ever? The action, if you can call it that, started Wednesday in suburban Gilbert, where police responded to a call about a suspicious man screaming in the parking lot of a Walmart. Fox 10 reports that the man refused to speak with police, got into his pint-size ForTwo and took off. Officers tried to pull him over, but the driver refused and ran several stoplights. From there, he headed west on Interstate 10, where the station’s helicopter captured nearly 41 minutes of decidedly unexciting footage in which you can see a police SUV briefly giving chase as the suspect drove west on the lightly trafficked freeway, appearing to drive at highway speeds. UPDATE: DPS pit-maneuvered the Smart car that fled Gilbert PD. 1 male in custody. No injuries. pic.twitter.com/YXBdciJPHP — jonathan roy (@JRFox10) April 22, 2020 Police reportedly eventually gave up the chase for unknown reasons. But the suspect was apprehended after police used a pit maneuver to get him to stop. Parent company Daimler discontinued combustion versions of the Smart in 2017 in the U.S. and stopped selling the brand altogether following the 2019 ForTwo Electric Drive. Chinese automaker Geely last year purchased a 50% stake in the automaker. Weird Car News smart

Smart Fortwo's off-road chops on display in amusing ad from Cannes

After spending a few days with the recalcitrant mechanism that masquerades as a transmission in the Smart Fortwo, we can admit we've pondered all sorts of ways to prematurely end the car's life. An impromptu hardcore off-road excursion has figured prominently in at least one such scenario. Evidently the marketers behind Smart have entertained similar thoughts, or at least spent some time contemplating the old chestnut that goes something like, "Who makes the best off-roader? Hertz." After all, how else can we explain this 49-second spot?
We kid Daimler's pint-sized microcar brand, but the truth is, this is a pretty brilliant little advertisement. It's honest and plays to the Fortwo's major trump card - its tidy dimensions - while having a good sense of humor. According to Ad Week, this commercial comes from BBDO Germany, and was just shown at Cannes, where it won a couple of Gold Lion awards and had the audience cheering. Check it out by scrolling below.