2014 Smart Fortwo Brabus Coupe on 2040-cars

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Smart Cross Connect app changes how ForTwos get used [UPDATE]

UPDATE: The story's been updated with a response from a Smart representative. There are parking spaces, and then there are Fortwo parking spaces. Smart, which is owned by Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler, is looking for a way for its customers to take advantage of the difference. Think of it as a big thing for really small cars. Smart is working on an app for the redesigned Fortwo called Cross Connect that will be available as soon as next month, says Automotive News, citing Smart chief Annette Winkler. The idea is to connect owners of the diminutive two-seat vehicles to, for example, let them tell each other when there's a parking space that's too small for just about any other vehicle but big enough for a Smart. If you think that's a small thing, think again. The Fortwo is 8 feet, 10 inches long. That's almost six feet shorter than a Toyota Prius, which itself isn't exactly a stretch limo. In fact, the length of a Smart Fortwo is just 10 inches longer than the width of a Ford F-150, in case anyone was having misgivings about parking perpendicular in a parallel spot. Parking has become more relevant, and tougher, as more people move to urban centers. For instance, BMW said earlier this month that it would discontinue its DriveNow car-sharing operations in San Francisco because of the challenge of parking vehicles on that city's streets. Other possible amenities with the Cross Connect app including the enabling of personal car sharing as well as information on car washes that offer discounted rates for Smart Fortwo. Yes, there are some out there, apparently, and we salute them. Michael Minielly, a spokesman for Mercedes-Benz, confirmed to Autoblog that the Cross Connect features would be available in November. You can read Autoblog's driving impressions of the 2016 Fortwo here. Featured Gallery 2016 Smart ForTwo: Second Drive View 23 Photos News Source: Automotive News-sub.req.Image Credit: Drew Phillips Green Mercedes-Benz smart Technology Smartphone fortwo

San Diego Car2go fleet replaced with 400 2014 Smart Fortwo EVs

The city of San Diego was the first in the US to get an all-electric fleet of Car2go carsharing vehicles. Back in 2011, the Daimler-owned carsharing service started offering local drivers the chance to get to their destination in a battery-powered car for around 40 cents a minute. It's proven to be a success, with over a million trips taken in the city since launch. Car2go has been changing how it runs the program, introducing charging incentives last year. Now, the entire fleet of EVs is going to be replaced with 400 2014 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive vehicles. The news is welcome, since each iteration of the Fortwo ED improves on the previous version, but it again highlights just how long we will have to wait in the US to get the totally updated EV. If it was coming before 2016 or early 2017, as is currently the plan, maybe Car2go wouldn't be so eager to update right now. As always, you asked and we listened! As always, you asked and we listened! We are very excited to share the news that beginning today we are replacing our current fleet with 400 powerful 2014 smart fortwo Electric Drives. The addition of our new vehicles will also increase the car2go San Diego fleet size providing members with more vehicles throughout the Home Area. These brand new vehicles, while maintaining their zero-emissions footprint, have a much smoother acceleration, and overall, a more comfortable car2go driving experience that we know our members will truly enjoy (especially on the freeway). We hope to have the entire fleet switched out in a very short period of time. When driving a new car2go vehicle you'll notice stronger acceleration and breaking. Due to the different handling experiences, you should familiarize yourself with the two cosmetic differences between the old and new vehicles. The new vehicles will have the smart logo inside of the grille whereas old vehicles have the logo on the hood. The car2go logo is also larger on the new vehicles. Since launch, the car2go Home Area has expanded to 45 square miles within San Diego, providing all of our members the flexibility to get to their destinations at their convenience without having to return the vehicle. Today, we have seen nearly 1,000,000 car2go trips taken since our initial launch in San Diego in November 2011 as the largest electric carsharing fleet in the nation. We are constantly striving to be member focused to get you what you want and appreciate all the feedback we receive from our members.

Car2go now has 1,000,000 members

Turns out, 1,000,000 people sharing 12,000 cars can have a big impact. Now that Car2go has claimed the seven-digit member figure (disclosure: I'm one of those million), the Daimler-owned carsharing company is, ahem, sharing a few figures in the traditional infographic format. Click the image above to enlarge it. Using cars in 29 "Home Areas" in eight countries around the world, Car2go members have driven 136,701,662 total miles over 32 million trips. Daimler also said that the average trip time was between 19 and 25 minutes. We have to assume that the 18 trips used as a "wedding getaway car" took a bit longer than that. Thus far, Car2go is open only in cities in Europe and North America, but we recently learned that expansion to Asia is in the works. The carsharing company has evolved since starting in 2009, adding more transportation options in some areas and turning members' cell phones into a gadget that can start and end trips. Find more in the press release below. car2go Reaches 1,000,000 Members, Marking Its Spot As The Largest Carsharing Company In The World In Celebration of 1M Member Milestone, car2go Reveals User Behavior Data Since Launch AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- car2go, the largest carsharing company in the world, announced today that its revolutionary, one-way carsharing service has reached one million members with access to 12,000 car2go vehicles in 60 cities within 29 operating Home Areas and eight countries across the globe. Additionally, for the first time ever, car2go revealed user behavior data, illustrating its sheer growth since the company launched in 2009. "Providing our members the best car2go experience with their honest feedback has always been such an important part of our overall growth strategy," said Paul DeLong, CMO of car2go North America. "We've seen tremendous growth since we first launched, and the strong adoption rate is a testament that our valued members are truly responding to our efforts to help them get from Point A to Point B with absolute ease. We know that we can't rest - we will continue to innovate and improve car2go in our existing markets, and introduce car2go to additional cities around the world.