2016 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe on 2040-cars

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Daimler looks to skirt France's 35-hour workweek

Daimler has a brewing labor battle at its Smart factory in Hambach, France, over just how long the workweek should be. Under a French law enacted in 2000, workers are only required to be on the job 35 hours per week, but recent tweaks to the rule allow for companies to negotiate more flexibility. Now, the automaker is asking employees for 39 hours weekly in exchange for six euros ($6.70) per hour more during the extra time and a one-time bonus of 1,000 euros ($1,117), according to Bloomberg. The plant's labor union isn't taking kindly to Daimler's offer, though. "It's a way to freeze wages without any guarantees in return," union representative Patrick Hoszkowicz said to Bloomberg. One problem is that the six-euro raise during the four extra hours per week is less than France's 9.61-euro ($10.75) minimum wage. A spokesperson for the automaker countered in the report that the changes increase "competitiveness to ensure viability." The outcome of the deal could have major effects for Daimler because the Hambach plant is a major production hub for Smart. The automaker spent millions of euros there in 2009 for the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive. The factory then received another 200 million euro investment in 2013 to prepare for the brand's latest minicar models. While a 35-hour week might sound like a dream to many Americans, it's not even truly the norm in France. According to Bloomberg citing Eurostat data, the average full-time worker there is actually on the job 40.5 hours weekly, an hour less than Europe as a whole.

Smart Fortwo successor spotted wearing new nose

Judging by the numerous concept vehicles from Smart lately, we can pretty much already tell what the future has in store for the brand's growing lineup. Still, these new spy shots give us our first look at the next Fortwo being tested with what looks to be a production-ready nose.
Although this mule still uses cobbled together pieces from a Renault Twingo that we've seen in previous spy shots, the camouflaged front end shows a likeness to recent concepts like the Fourjoy and Forstars. This includes the short, flat nose, an enlarged grille and the headlight shape, but one noticeable difference is the addition of marker lights positioned just below the main beams. From what we hear, the next-gen Fortwo will be unveiled early next year at the Geneva Motor Show, and it will be slightly bigger than the current model.

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.