2016 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe on 2040-cars

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Daimler chairman agrees with German Greens on reducing emissions

Daimler Chairman Dieter Zetsche spoke at a Green Party congress in Germany earlier this week and said he agreed with the party's urge to dramatically cut transportation-based greenhouse-gas emissions by expanding plug-in vehicle sales, Reuters says. Zetsche stopped short of backing the Greens' suggestion to ban gas- and diesel-powered vehicles by 2030, though. The man must keep his job, after all. Zetsche did say that reducing greenhouse-gas emissions from the transportation sector was "necessary," and his company has made plans to do just that. Daimler representatives said at the Paris Motor Show earlier this year that Smart and Mercedes-Benz both planned to debut more than 10 electric vehicles within the next decade, and that plug-ins may account for as much as 25 percent of Mercedes-Benz's sales by then. Moreover, Dr. Thomas Weber, Head of Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, said in June that Mercedes could be selling as many as 100,000 EVs a year by the end of the decade. Last month, Mercedes-Benz announced that its EQ electric-SUV concept would go on sale by 2020, and that the Bremen factory that's producing the model will broaden its plug-in vehicle production further. Zetsche's cautious support notwithstanding, the German government appears to be doing its own part to reduce emissions from the country's light-duty vehicles. Earlier this year, Germany enacted a plan that provides as much as 4,000 euros ($4,270) in perks for people who buy new electric vehicles, with German automakers agreeing to foot about half of the estimated $1.4 billion bill. German lawmakers had also floated the idea of a 10-year moratorium on electric-vehicle taxes for cars purchased before 2020. Related Video: News Source: Reuters via Automotive News Europe-sub.req.Image Credit: Ralph Orlowski / Reuters Government/Legal Green Mercedes-Benz smart Electric

'New-generation' all-electric Smart ForTwo and FourFour the future of the brand

These are the Smarts that have turned forbidden fruit for our market. The mini-car maker calls the new Smart ForTwo EQ, ForTwo Cabrio EQ, and ForFour EQ a "new generation," but that refers to the comprehensive swap to electric powertrains and elimination of ICE options, not major platform changes. Smart has offered ED "Electric Drive" versions for 12 years, and the current 17.6-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and 159-kilometer (99 miles) don't change. Outside, two distinct grilles have been swapped a single grille placed lower on a more vertical front fascia on the coupe and four-door models. The ForTwo and ForFour get slightly different takes on the grille, however, the ForTwo's smiley face grille flanked by fog lights, the ForFour's trapezoidal grille housing its fog lights. Smart logos formerly placed on the mesh are replaced by small logotype on the front hood on both models, and the mesh can be painted in body color for the first time. Other highlights outside include optional full-LED headlights and new LED taillights. Inside, a new center console provides more and better storage options, able to hold "the largest smartphones" or two cups of coffee with the removable cup holder. Larger phone storage will come in handy since the new infotainment system is entirely phone-based. The Smart EQ app has also been redesigned to incorporate feedback from users, bringing deeper integration with smartphone widgets and the Apple Watch, as well as extra functionality for services like car sharing, parking, finding the car, and even how to pack the Smart most efficiently. More colors join the palette. The ForTwo's body panels and Tridion cell can be dressed in Carmine Red and Gold Beige, and Lime Green is a new hue for the body panels only. The ForFour adds Ice White for the body and the Tridion Cell, Steel Blue for the body alone. A new black and blue fabric interior gets set off with top-stitching and accented trim pieces. And four new wheel designs come in either 15- or 16-inch sizes. A simpler package structure is expected to make ordering easier. The same four trims carry over: Base, Passion, Pulse, and Prime. Three option packages start with Advanced, which includes infotainment, a front armrest, and an audible parking warning system. Stepping up to Premium adds a panoramic roof on the hardtop, a wind-stop on the convertible, a reversing camera, and a stowage net for center console.

2016 Technology of the Year Finalist: Smart CrossConnect App

One of the most common car-tech-related questions we hear is, "Why can't I just have my phone hooked up in the car?" Indeed, everything we need lives on our smartphones – phonebook contacts, navigation, audio files, etc. And while systems like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay work to bring a sort of mirroring functionality into the car, Smart offers a solution that allows you to, quite literally, just use your phone. It's called the CrossConnect App, available on the new-for-2016 Smart ForTwo. The car comes with a docking port that plugs into the radio head unit, which holds your phone in place, horizontally. From there, you run the app like you would any other, and it lets you work through your phone's existing information to use things like a media player, Bluetooth calling, navigation, and more. The app is free for Android and Apple users. It's a little clunky sometimes, but we like the ability to just use the existing functionality of your phone right there in the car's center console.