2015 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe on 2040-cars

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Portland Car2go carsharing program adds, what else, bike racks

Yes, you can indeed fit a guitar in the back of a Smart ForTwo. That's one of the side lessons we learned from a 95-second video that Daimler's carsharing division Car2go has posted about adding bike racks to a good chunk of its fleet in Portland, OR. Beyond that, the video had a nice tutorial on how to strap on a pair of bikes to the back of a really small car. Looks like it's not all that difficult. The details in the video are sparse, but Oregon Public Broadcasting has elaborated on Car2go's plan to affix bike racks to the back of about half of the Portland-area's fleet of 530 vehicles, which makes sense given that biking is a bit of a religion up there. Daimler launched Car2go in Portland during the summer of 2012, kicking things off with about 250 vehicles and 6,000 members. Since then, the fleet has doubled while membership has multiplied by a factor of five. And a good 40 percent of that membership has said it regularly bikes, hence the new racks. We get the feeling a fair number of those folks are musicians as well, hence the guitar. Car2go operates in 15 US cities. Check out Car2go's video above. Related Gallery Car2go Miami, Toronto, Calgary, Amsterdam News Source: Car2go/YouTube, Oregon Public Broadcasting via Green Car Reports Green smart Transportation Alternatives bike car2go portland

Recharge Wrap-up: Smart Fortwo engine fires, Tesla finalist for Extole Advocacy and Customer Experience award

NHTSA has launched a preliminary investigation into complaints of Smart Fortwo engine fires. So far, the agency has received eight complaints about the rear engine compartment catching fire in model year 2008 and 2009 Fortwos and quickly engulfing the car. Six of the fires occurred while driving and were preceded by a check engine light. "The safety of our customers is our primary concern, and we are cooperating with NHTSA in its inquiry," says parent company Mercedes-Benz. "We are not aware of any injuries related to this inquiry." Read more from Automotive News. Volkswagen will pay $1.6 billion (US) in Canada as part of a settlement of its diesel emissions scandal. The funds will be used to fix or buy back some 105,000 affected cars, compensate owners between $3,815 and $4,451 above the buyback price, and pay a $11.2 million civil fine. So far, VW has agreed to spend over $18 billion in North America in connection with its diesel emissions cheating, and is expected to settle on a resolution of its 3.0-liter diesel vehicles in the US soon. Read more at Hybrid Cars, or from Automotive News. Tesla is one of three finalists for the Extole Advocacy and Customer Experience Award. The award recognizes companies that turn customers into brand advocates through referral programs. In Tesla's current program, customers who buy a car using a referral link get $1,000 off the price of their car, while referring owners are awarded prizes including a signed Powerwall 2 and invitations to unveiling events. Referring owners are also entered into a drawing to win a Model S or Model X. "With a disdain for paid advertising, Tesla Motors is leading the trend of reaching new customers through existing ones," says Extole. The other finalists are Hanna Andersson and Ulta Beauty. Read more at Teslarati. Related Gallery Review: 2009 Smart ForTwo View 20 Photos News Source: Automotive News, Hybrid Cars, Automotive News, TeslaratiImage Credit: Copyright 2016 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Government/Legal Green smart Tesla Volkswagen Green Automakers Safety Diesel Vehicles Electric recharge wrapup

Smart Fortwo gets Twinamic dual-clutch transmission

When we drove the new Smart Fortwo and Forfour back in November, Daimler was still working out the kinks in its dual-clutch transmission. But a few months later, the German automaker has apparently finished tinkering with the automatic, and now Smart is introducing it as an option on the new Fortwo in its home market. The six-speed DCT - dubbed "Twinamic" - is being rolled out initially on the 71-horsepower version of the 1.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-three, netting a 0-62 time of 15.1 seconds. That's slow, but it's a solid 0.8 seconds quicker off the line than the same engine with the six-speed manual. Top speed (not exactly a city car's forte) remains pegged at 94 miles per hour. Fuel consumption and CO2 figures remain virtually unchanged, quoted at the same 4.1 liters per 100 kilometers (57 mpg converted from the more lenient European cycle) and a slightly worse 94 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer (instead of 93 with the manual). The first Fortwos with the DCT are slated to be delivered in March, available on the base model for an extra 1275 euros, tax-in (equivalent to $1,500 at today's rates) or 1000 euros ($1160) on the Passion, Prime and Proxy trim levels. Shifting is actuated automatically or can be controlled by the gear selector, but opt for the Sport package and you'll get shift paddles as well. Either way, it promises to deliver a much smoother experience than the widely lambasted robotized gearbox on the outgoing model. We suspect North American buyers will get this transmission at some point, but thus far, it remains unconfirmed. We've reached out to Daimler officials and will update this story if we hear more. smart fortwo now available for ordering with twinamic dual clutch transmission: Hands-on or automatic gear shifting As the first model of the new smart generation, the smart fortwo rated at 52 kW/71 hp is now available for ordering with the twinamic dual clutch transmission. This enables gear shifting to be carried out either fully automatically or manually. Manual shifting is possible using the selector lever in a separate gate or by means of the shift paddles included in the Sports package. The additional charge for the twinamic in Germany in the standard version is 1275 euros (RRP, incl. 19% VAT); in combination with the passion, prime and proxy lines 1000 euros (RRP, incl. 19% VAT). The dual clutch transmission is available in combination with the passion, prime and proxy equipment lines.