2014 Smart Fortwo Brabus Coupe on 2040-cars

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Aging Smart Fortwo ED to be sold alongside newer ICE model

The biggest thing to happen to the tiny Smart Fortwo in years is the redesign that we followed in the second half of 2014. While the internal combustion version of the new Fortwo will arrive in in the US later this year, we will have to wait "approximately a year after that" for the the EV version to come here. Mark Webster, the general manager of Smart USA, spoke to AutoblogGreen at the Detroit Auto Show this week, and said that the plug-in version of the 453 (Smart's internal code for the new ForTwo, which replaces the 451) will not be available in the US until late 2016 or perhaps even early 2017. What the means is that for around a year, Smart will sell the new gas-powered Fortwo next to old ED models on the same lot. While this is going to make the plug-in look a bit outdated, at least when the new ED goes on sale, it will come with a similar array of personalization and customization options as the current model does, Webster said. Any information beyond that is something we'll just have to sit and wait for. "Right now, we're not revealing too many statistics of the new cars becasue we're focusing on the EVs we have," he said, adding that, "We sold over 2,000 of these EVs last year and 921 in 2013. So we're doing very well." Smart sold 2,594 Fortwo EDs in the US last year. Despite this delay in getting the new electric Fortwo to market, Webster said that Daimler is very committed to EVs, and he personally also handles the B-Class Electric. "We have other models we're working on down the road that are dedicated EVs," he said, without going into further detail. Check out our review of the new ICE Fortwo here. Featured Gallery Smart Fortwo Electric Drive Vehicles: Detroit 2015 View 14 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2015 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Green Detroit Auto Show smart Electric

Smart ForFour prototype spotted alongside next-gen ForTwo

Smart is continuing to test its upcoming ForFour (seen above) model and the replacement for the ForTwo (pictured at the right), this time doing some cold-weather work in Sweden.
As we've reported previously, the ForFour is an all-new vehicle, and it will have more in common with the smaller ForTwo than the short-lived last model that was co-developed with Mitsubishi. This ForFour is instead a collaborative project with Renault, and could spawn what will ultimately become the new Renault Twingo. Some reports have it that Renault is no longer interested in the Smart partnership, but the fact that these testers were wearing French plates and were spotted caravanning with a French-registered Dacia Duster adds a bit of circumstantial evidence that the match is intact.
The new ForTwo was also spied in these snowy environs. The two-seater is expected to be ready to roll before the ForFour - likely coming to market in 2014. The ForFour, meanwhile, might not show up until 2015.

Car2go acquires RideScout, adds all sorts of transportation options to carsharing program

Car2go has always been about offering its members an alternative to traditional car ownership as they move around town. Now, the carsharing company's focus is expanding to offer alternatives (plural) with the addition of things like taxis, bikesharing and public transportation to the Car2go family. This is because Car2go and its parent company, Moovel (which is in turn owned by Daimler), have acquired RideScout, an all-in-one service that Car2go calls, "the leading app-based mobility platform in North America." The idea behind RideScout is that you put in the address/POI of where you want to go and the app lists a number of options for you to get there, including expected travel time and cost. Think of it as a version of that all-in-one Helsinki project we mentioned the other day without the coordinated payment but which works in more cities. Car2go says that RideScout makes it simple to find, "the best way to get from point A to point B." Car2go has more thatn 850,000 registered members in 26 cities around the world. Check out the Car2go/RideScout welcome email (with details on a free-driving promotion) and two videos below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. What is RideScout? from RideScout on Vimeo. car2go Welcomes RideScout to the Mobility Family! Dear car2go Member, Since our launch five years ago, we have believed that how we all get from point A to point B has a massive impact on our quality of life and the environment in which we live, work, and play. Whether it's to get to those significant life experiences, or those everyday life errands, we have remained committed to making life easier to get to where you need to go, when you need to go, with complete ease. As the largest fastest-growing global carsharing company, we are proud to say that we have continued those efforts to provide the best service and experience to our valued community of over 850,000 registered car2go members across 26 cities around the world. Today, we are thrilled to share that we have acquired RideScout, the leading app-based mobility platform in North America, dedicated to allowing users to search and compare ground transportation options on demand.