2016 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe on 2040-cars

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Smart Fortwo Flashlight edition signs off in Detroit

It won't be long before the all-new Smart Fortwo arrives in showrooms around the world, and that includes the US market. But before it does, Daimler has rolled in to the Detroit Auto Show this year with this special edition of the outgoing model. Called the Flashlight edition, the special Smart is done up with an orange frame and either white or black body panels. The grille is finished in black, as are the split-spoke wheels, but their hubs and the mirror caps are in orange to match the frame. Inside it's all black leather with tone-on-tone black fabric inserts and contrasting orange trim. The special edition is based on the Passion trim level with the Cabrio roof. It also comes bundled with a whole mess of otherwise optional equipment at a substantial savings, and will be available in markets around the world with either the 71-horsepower atmospheric engine, the 84-horse turbo or the electric drive powertrain. smart fortwo edition flashlight: Spring is in the air Detroit/Stuttgart, Jan 12, 2015 Detroit/Stuttgart. A colourful smart cabrio special model is heralding the approach of spring: the exclusive smart fortwo edition flashlight can be ordered from January 2015. The limited special model is available in Europe as a cabrio with a petrol engine or electric drive. It will reach the first customers in April 2015. The bodypanels of the edition flashlight come in the colour matt crystal white, exclusively reserved for this model, or alternatively in deep black. By contrast, the tridion safety cell always comes in lava orange, as do the door mirror caps. Further distinctive features of this model are the black radiator grille, black alloy wheels in a 3-twin-spoke design with lava orange hub covers providing striking accents, H7 projection headlamps with a titanium-coloured background and the edition logo in the mirror triangle[1]. The premium, sporty feel continues in the interior. All edition flashlight models come with seats in black leather look with black fabric inserts on the seat backrests, orange stitching and a contrasting orange stripe that is also found on the kneepad. The 3-spoke leather sports steering wheel features orange stitching, as does the dashboard. The interior is rounded off by exclusive "edition flashlight" floor mats. The Audio-System basic is already on board as a standard feature. It comprises an RDS radio with USB and AUX ports for MP3 or CD player, two integrated loudspeakers and an additional drawer below the operating unit.

Car2go NA's new CEO says carsharing service will upgrade tech

Since its first car was shared in the US in 2009, Car2go has seen tremendous growth and a steadily increasing number of users. Car2go is the largest carsharing company in the world today, and the company's North American division just got a new president and CEO: former marketing and sales manager Paul DeLong (pictured, above right). DeLong announced his new position in a letter to Car2go users and said that the company is working on some "key service upgrades" for the ways that the cars connect to Car2go's servers and will soon be using "local mobile providers and 3G networks, resulting in a faster connection when members begin and start their trip." The first city to get upgraded is Seattle. Announcing car2go's new CEO with some key service upgrades planned for you. Today, I have officially transitioned into a new role as the CEO and President of car2go North America. Joining car2go when it was first introduced in Austin in 2009 was the best decision that I've ever made, and as I kick off my first day as CEO today, I would like to share with you what we have in the pipeline for our valued members in the coming months, as well as my thoughts on car2go's bright future. • Our service is getting a speed upgrade. Currently, we are operating a massive switch to introduce technology that will allow us to use local mobile providers and 3G networks, resulting in a faster connection when members begin and start their trip. In fact, we are actively working on this in Seattle at this moment. • Accelerated development with new product features. The past two weeks, we have been working hard to migrate our IT systems to a high-performance cloud-based solution, which will accelerate the development of product updates for our services, and improve and scale our business in all of our cities worldwide. While the upgrades to the new and improved technology have been significant, we realize that they have not been easy. Some members may have been affected recently by disruptions to our service, but we would like to reassure you that all of these investments in our technology will make the car2go experience live up to your expectations. At car2go, we don't strive for just "OK," we strive to be a trusted partner that helps you get from Point A to Point B with ease.

Recharge Wrap-up: Batty battery covers, Mercedes at Silvretta, new Hyundai Sonata Hybrid available in 2015

Apparently, Chevrolet Volt battery covers make suitable homes for bats. As part of an Eagle Scout project, Matthew Netherland created 30 bat houses out of scrapped Volt battery covers donated by Chevy. 22 of the bat houses will be set up near hydroelectric dams in Michigan. Each bat house will accommodate 100 bats, and divert the scrapped materials from the landfill. The battery covers also make great nesting boxes for wood ducks, which General Motors has previously set up at its Milford, Michigan Proving Ground. Last weekend was the Silvretta E-Auto Rally, which saw emissions-free vehicles cross the Montafon Mountains in Austria, including cars from Mercedes-Benz. These cars included the B-Class Electric Drive, B-Class F-Cell, SLS AMG Electric Drive and even the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive. Also on hand for the Silvretta Classic Rally was a V8-powered C111, a 1978 Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC and 300 SL Roadster. Read more in the press release, below. BMW has finalized pricing for the i8 in the US at $135,700 (plus $925 in destination charges). In addition to the base price tag, which we've known for a while, BMW Blog has the complete pricing guide with options and packages. Most of the i8 orders were the Pure Impulse World package, which includes various aesthetic upgrades. It also provides membership to the BMW i Pure Impulse Program, which allows you to "to enjoy innovative ideas and trends in a variety of areas, including home styling, culture, gourmet gastronomy, design and many more." Head over to BMW Blog for more information. The new generation of the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid will arrive later than the rest of the model lineup, confirms Car and Driver. While the gas-powered Sonatas get updated now for the 2015 model year, the Hybrid remains unchanged until late this year or early 2015, when it will arrive as a 2016 model. Hyundai is offering a 2015 Sonata Eco edition, but with 28 miles per gallon in the city and 38 mpg highway (32 combined), it's not quite as appealing as the current Sonata Hybrid's 36/40/38 figures. Read more here. In June, average US fuel economy was 25.5 miles per gallon, making it the fifth straight month above 25 mpg, according to University of Michigan. The average window sticker ratings from vehicles sold in June dropped slightly from 25.6 mpg in May. The year started at 24.9 mpg in January, and hasn't dropped below 25 mpg since.