2014 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe on 2040-cars

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German man buys 2 Smart cars just to keep driveway clear

Don't you just hate it when someone parks too close to the shoulder of your driveway? Yeah, life is tough. For one man who lives in the tony Oberkassel district of Dusseldorf, Germany, it was apparently enough to devise a novel solution: buy two Smart cars and leave them parked as bookends, assuring plenty of real estate for him to navigate in and out of the driveway. First reported by German publication RP Online, the unnamed man lives in a five-story building on Kaiser-Friedrich-Ring across the street from a park and greenspace along the banks of the Rhine River. Parking is apparently at a premium in the densely populated neighborhood, and more so because of its proximity to the park and its tennis courts. The man enjoys what appears to be a fairly broad, brick-paved driveway and a garage, but that apparently wasn't enough for the "powerful SUV" that neighbors told RP he or his wife drives. So he bought what a photograph appears to be two Smart fortwo minicars in metallic silver. And left 'em there. Neighbors at some point caught on that the cars, which are reportedly popular in the neighborhood full of row houses, never moved. They say they've been parked in the spots for at least three years, having only once been temporarily moved. RP reports that lush weeds have taken root on one of the car's tires and in the adjacent gutter. Local traffic authorities say it's perfectly legal to keep them there, so long as they can be moved if necessary. We can't say this is a terrible idea. It's also not a terrible use for a Smart. Related Video: Image Credit: Google Maps Auto News Weird Car News smart parking minicar

Smart considering Forfour-based SUV

Can we interest anyone in the idea of a rear-engined SUV? Because that's what Daimler is reportedly considering for its Smart brand. According to Autocar, a crossover could be the next addition to the Smart lineup. It'd be based on the same architecture as the Smart Forfour and Renault Twingo, which are built on a rear-engined platform that gives the steering rack up front more range of motion to provide the vehicle a tight turning radius. Because the Smart and Twingo don't share much with other products in either automaker's stable, they're said to be eagerly looking for ways to make the most of their investment, and spinning off a sport-ute variant could be just the ticket. The resulting crossover could end up a little longer than the Forfour and Twingo, owing to more rugged bumpers, but would likely pack the same three-cylinder engines (in atmospheric and turbo guises) and choice of five-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch transmissions. Whether the platform could be modified to accommodate all-wheel drive as well remains a big question mark, but we'd point out that Audi managed to squeeze its Quattro system into the A1 even though the VW Polo platform on which it was based was never designed for it. Renault could prove eager to get in on the project as well with a version of its own, giving both automakers a worthwhile challenger to the nimble little Fiat Panda 4x4. The bigger question is whether it would ever make its way to US showrooms. Currently the smaller Fortwo is the only Smart being offered in North America, with the Forfour not earmarked for these shores – and Renault of course doesn't market here altogether.

Smart ForTwo Iceshine won't make your hair look any better

This must be a first: Smart has named its latest special edition ForTwo after a shampoo. Not really, but clearly someone at Daimler did not do due diligence (or use Google) before dreaming up the Iceshine moniker.
The Smart ForTwo Iceshine is a special edition based on the model's Passion trim level, while Ice Shine is a variety of Pantene. Coming in white and a special azure blue, the vehicular Iceshine matches those exterior colors with white alloys and white mirrors to give the Smartfortwo a positively twenty-five year-old feel. Other equipment includes LED daytime running lamps, "leather effect" seats, and a three-spoke leather steering wheel. Interior trim is done up in - you guessed it - white, including the rings around the Fortwo's instrumentation. Frankly, we're finding all of this about as exciting as washing your hair.
Smart will be looking to push only 1,800 of these onto the German market, starting at just over $18,000 for the coupe and roughly $22,000 for the convertible.