2015 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe on 2040-cars

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Smart bringing electric scooter to U.S. in 2014, will be part of Car2go

In a blink-and-you'd-miss-it announcement during an event in Berlin, the head of marketing and sales for Smart, Martin Hülder, told us that the third model in the Smart e-Mobility range - after the Smart ForTwo Electric Drive and eBike - will be the Smart electric scooter (or "smart scooter"). To be fair, the original announcement happened in mid-May at a shindig in Davos, Switzerland, but Daimler had some new news for us in Berlin.
The stylish two-wheeler was first shown at the 2010 Paris Motor Show but was whisked into limbo from there, presumably to end up a no-go along with several previous ideas from the traditionally cash-burning company. Instead, the scooter has gotten the green light and the United States is a key market for it.
To rehash the features of the silent plug-in runabout, a 48-volt lithium-ion battery pack stored down low behind your feet supplies juice to a 4-kW (i.e. 5.4 horsepower) wheel-hub electric motor at the rear wheel. Top speed is listed at 45 km/h or 28 mph - a choice by Smart that allows the scooter to be driven on streets in many countries before one has a driver's license.

2016 Smart Fortwo

In the sixteen years since Daimler first introduced the Smart car, the micro city car market has grown significantly to the extent that the urban-oriented brand doesn't just have more competition to contend with these days than it did in the late 90s; for the first time it has real competition on its hands altogether. In other words, while the Smart Fortwo once had the micro city car market almost entirely to itself, new rivals have emerged to challenge its dominance.
It may be a long time, if ever, before slightly larger contenders like the Scion iQ and Volkswagen Up! catch up to the 1.6-million units Smart has moved since it first hit the market back in 1998, somehow never managing to turn a profit along the way. But the bottom line is that Smart's position in the market is far from assured, especially relying, as it has, on the same architecture for over a decade and a half.
So after strongly hinting at the way forward with a series of show cars, Daimler revealed the all-new Smart Fortwo and its bigger brother, the Forfour, in July ahead of its debut at last month's Paris Motor Show. With both the brand's future and its supremacy in the urban mobility market hanging in the balance, we boarded a flight to Barcelona to see what Daimler had up its short sleeve. What we found was a two-seat city car that's not just a substantial improvement over the model it replaces, but an altogether different beast- one which doesn't aspire to be everything to everyone, but just might be what drivers in the world's densest urban cores will need... and little more.

New Smart ED not coming to US until 2017

Smart is broadening its global lineup considerably with its new generation. There are two body styles, two engines, two transmissions, and more color combinations than we could shake a stick at. But, if you're waiting for a new electric version in the US, you'll have to wait a little longer. According to Automotive News, Smart won't launch the new ED (electric drive) model until 2017, which rules out the "late 2016" window we heard was possible earlier this year. We've asked Smart USA for confirmation of this time change, but have not yet heard back. The standard, fuel-burning version of the new ForTwo, on the other hand, is slated to arrive at US dealers in November. It will only be offered to American customers in two-door guise with the turbocharged engine, driving 89 horsepower through either a five-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch transmission. The outgoing electric Smart is still going to be offered in three iterations. It first saw a pilot lease program distribute 100 vehicles in London, powered by a 41-horsepower electric motor and a 13.2-kWh sodium-nickel chloride battery that could take it for 68 miles on a single charge. The second followed in 2009 and spread 2,000 vehicles across 18 markets with a 27-hp motor with a 40-hp overboost and a 16.5-kWh lithium-ion battery for a range of 84 miles. The current, third iteration was unveiled in 2011 with a 74-hp motor, a 17.6-kWh lithium-ion battery and a 90-mile range. Expect the new Smart ED to further improve on those numbers when it arrives within the next couple of years. Until that time, the current model will still be offered as Daimler prepares the new ED model for launch as part of a growing array of plug-in electric vehicles. Related Video: