2016 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe on 2040-cars

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Mercedes-Benz may create electric-only brand

Daimler's Mercedes-Benz division may follow in fellow German automaker BMW's footsteps by launching its own separate brand for electric vehicles, Hybrid Cars says, citing German publication Handelsblatt, which quoted people familiar with the process. Daimler's board may make the decision to go ahead with the plan as early next month. And the brand may officially be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in September. Unlike BMW and the i brand, Mercedes would use its existing factories to produce the newly-branded vehicles instead of operating out of a separate one as the i brand does. The first vehicle under the brand is likely to be an SUV model based on the Mercedes-Benz GLC crossover vehicle and would start sales next year. The product line would be broadened further in 2020. Daimler declined to comment, according to Handelsblatt. Mercedes-Benz and BMW wouldn't be the only two German automakers with plans for more electric vehicle sales. Volkswagen has a plan to unleash as many as 20 electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids to the public by 2020, including the Phaeton and the Audi A8. On that note, reports surfaced last month that VW may build its own "Gigafacory" as it prepares to widen its plug-in vehicle push and bring down their costs. As for US sales, Smart sold 313 ForTwo Electric vehicles, down 43 percent from a year earlier. Meanwhile, BMW's i sales in the US fell 40 percent from a year earlier to 2,723. Currently, Mercedes-Benz's only two electric vehicles are the Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive and the Smart ForTwo Electric two-seat vehicle. In the meantime, take a look at Autoblog's First Drive of the B-Class Electric. Related Video: News Source: Handelsblatt, Hybrid Cars Green Mercedes-Benz smart Electric

Next Smart Fortwo, Forfour to debut July 16, previewed in design sketches

Smart is slated to debut both the next-generation Fortwo and the all-new Forfour in Berlin tomorrow evening, with the struggling city car manufacturer making the lofty claim that the new models will be "the best city cars in the world."
Ahead of that debut, Smart has released a trio of sketches that show off the new, two-seat Fortwo and its new, bolder (it's a relative term, people) design language. Gone is the slab-sided appearance of the last Fortwo, as the new model should sport a pair of fairly substantial character lines along its sides. It's difficult to tell from the sketches, which naturally exaggerate some of the styling aspects, but it looks like we can expect slightly flared wheel arches, as well as an all-new front fascia. That face looks to be inspired by the FourJoy concept, and boasts large headlights and a more pronounced grille. It's a similar story in back, where FourJoy-inspired styling dominates, with prominent rhomboidal taillights.
In the cabin, Smart's clean, funky aesthetic remains on display, boasting a minimalist look that should help avoid feelings of claustrophobia. A three-spoke steering wheel with a large, single-element instrument cluster greets the driver, while an interesting, oval shape dominates the doors.

This guy sold his Camaro to buy a Smart EV, and loves it

The Dead Milkmen will be very displeased. Stephen Grinwis has decided to explain to Clean Technica why he sold his Chevrolet Camaro for – get this – a Smart ED electric vehicle. We can already hear the Milkmen, performers of the 1985 punk masterpiece Bitchin' Camaro, crying in their Stoney's Extra Stout. But green is green, and this case, the man said he was going broke driving the Camaro by spending $550 a month on gas and shredding his $3,000 set of tires. His Smart ED costs him about $20 a month worth of electricity, and the maintenance costs are way lower. Grinwis also claims the Smart ED is more fun because he can floor it off the line without garnering any police attention. He also says lots of folks ask him about the car, perhaps because he's always zipping a full speed. He boasts of having an eco-driving rate in the ED of under 20 percent, making us wonder if his single-charge range is about the length of a driveway. Grinwis is somewhat of a rare breed, in that just 1,390 Smart EDs were sold in the US through July (Smart, a division of Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler, still hasn't submitted its August numbers to AutoblogGreen). Through August, General Motors sold about 65,000 Camaros. And they're still bitchin'.