Smart Electric Drive Continues The Ten Year smart Success Story
September 3, 2008
Press release date: 03 September 2008 13:45
Hambach – Today, the one millionth smart fortwo rolled off the production line at the plant in Hambach, France - a micro hybrid drive (mhd) in the passion equipment line. On the occasion of the production anniversary and the tenth birthday of the smart brand Daimler presented the new smart electric drive. In Hambach Dr. Dieter Zetsche, President and CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars said “The smart electric drive makes zero emission driving in an urban environment a reality.”
The anniversary vehicle, which celebrates the tenth birthday of the Hambach plant and is the one millionth fortwo, rolled off the production line as an mhd passion with a 52 kW/71 bhp engine in the colour silver metallic. The car will be donated to charity. Dr. Dieter Zetsche, President and CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, congratulated the team at the Hambach plant on their work. “The continuing rising demand shows the success and the potential of the smart fortwo from Hambach. This year we have already sold 90,000 cars, more than 16,000 of them in the USA. From mid 2009 the smart will also become a familiar sight on Chinese roads.”
The smart fortwo electric drive
The new smart fortwo electric drive offers the brand additional growth opportunities: “From the end of 2009 we will produce a small series of the smart fortwo electric drive with a lithium-ion battery”, Dr. Dieter Zetsche said. The predecessor of the smart fortwo electric drive, the smart fortwo ev (electric vehicle), celebrated its world premiere in 2006. Since 2007 a fleet with a total of 100 smart fortwo electric drives of the first generation has been tested in everyday service in London. With the new smart fortwo generation the smart with electric drive is also being reengineered. Whereas the first generation of the smart fortwo electric drive is equipped with a sodium-nickel-chloride battery, the second generation will be fitted with a lithium-ion battery. This battery combines higher performance with a long life and high reliability.
smart success story
Anders Sundt Jensen, Head of Brand Management at smart takes stock after ten years of smart: “The fortwo is a success story – it has won lots of fans in 37 markets worldwide. The smart is particularly sought-after in the USA which, even in the first year of the market launch, has become the third strongest market after Italy and Germany. There it is already a familiar sight on the roads of cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, Washington DC, San Francisco and Phoenix.“
The smart fortwo has always been most popular among customers in Italy and Germany: approximately two thirds of drivers of the new fortwo come from these two countries. The high quality “passion” equipment line is particularly popular and is chosen by two thirds of smart customers worldwide. In Germany and Italy every 5th smart driver drives the CO2 champion, the smart fortwo cdi. The economical diesel variant of the two-seater consumes just 3.3 litres per 100 kilometres in accordance with the New European Driving Cycle and emits just 88 grams of CO2 per kilometre – the lowest figure worldwide.
From October both the 52 kW/71 bhp and the 45 kW/61 bhp models will be equipped with mhd technology as standard. These are also the most popular engine variants with customers. This reduces the NEDC consumption by approximately 8 percent to 4.3 litres per 100 km and in urban traffic a fuel saving of almost 20 percent can be achieved.
Production at the smart plant in Hambach
Plant Manager Dr. Marcus Nicolai says “More than 800 skilled and motivated employees are responsible for the excellent quality of every smart fortwo that leaves the plant. The outstanding success of the second generation smart fortwo ensures that the capacity of our site is very well utilised. Flexible production methods have enabled us to react extremely well to the high demand.”
The smart plant in Hambach was inaugurated in 1997 and production of the first smart fortwo started in 1998. Around 14 hectares of the approximately 70 hectare site are built on. In 2007 more than 800 employees and around a further 1000 people employed by seven system partners produced more than 100,000 smart fortwos. Since 2007 the second generation of the smart fortwo has rolled off the production line in Hambach.
The production in Hambach is known for its innovation and efficiency. The assembly line in the shape of a plus sign has been designed to optimally meet the demands of assembly and logistics and ensures efficient production processes. This principle enables the system partners to supply modules directly to the assembly line. Transport and logistics costs are reduced to a minimum. This is an important contribution to environmentally compatible production at the site. In addition, the environmentally friendly and cost effective painting of the plant, an energy concept with numerous opportunities for making savings and the construction of the vehicles ensure that the ecological product responsibility of the smart brand is realised in the production.
Further information from smart is available on the internet: www.media.daimler.com
[Source: Daimler Media]
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Ten Years Of The Smart Fortwo - An Idea Takes Hold
September 3, 2008
The smart is celebrating its birthday
Ten years ago one of the world’s most unusual production vehicles was launched on the market. It was new and excitingly different to conventional cars – the smart city coupé, now called the smart fortwo. This extremely compact vehicle had just two seats and measured slightly more than two and a half metres in length. It was also able to fit into parking spaces perpendicular to the flow of traffic and it established its own class. Nevertheless, it took two people and their luggage to their destination very comfortably and with maximum safety.
It also had impressively low fuel consumption and minimum carbon dioxide emissions. Even then it anticipated many of today’s pressing questions concerning individual mobility and answered them in a unique way. After ten years of production one thing is certain: the idea has caught on. Thanks to technical innovations and a design that combines functionality with joie de vivre, the smart fortwo has become a cult car.
After ten years on the market the smart fortwo can be proud of its achievements. Since the first model was introduced in 1998 in excess of one million have been produced. Whereas the smart fortwo was initially only offered for sale in Germany and eight further European countries, today it is available in 37 countries worldwide, since January 2008 also in the USA. From mid 2009 the smart fortwo will also go on sale in China as the car is practically tailor-made for the growing number of lifestyle-oriented small car customers in a country with numerous megacities. In China, too, fashion-conscious young people want an agile, trendy vehicle for their flexible urban lifestyles in order to set themselves apart from others.
Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars says “In China we are seeing growing interest from customers in our high-quality and low consumption smart fortwo. I am sure that many cosmopolitan customers in China’s cities will soon come to love its unique concept. For in addition to its outstanding safety equipment and the typical design, the fortwo naturally also boasts top quality and reliability.”
The second generation continues the success story
The second generation of the smart fortwo has been on the market since the spring of 2007. It clearly continues the tradition of its predecessor and the fascinating smart story. The car continues to focus on the core brand values of innovation, functionality and joie de vivre – a kind of declaration of automotive independence for many smart drivers.
Anders Sundt Jensen, responsible for the smart brand says “The new fortwo
is even more comfortable, agile, safe and environmentally friendly than its successful predecessor was. The new fortwo does not only appeal to smart fans as a lifestyle-oriented vehicle, but also on account of its unparalleled economy.”
A trend-setting appearance with new ideas
The smart fortwo embodies a completely new, intelligent concept for automotive individuality and this is also reflected in its appearance with a fresh, young, modern yet sophisticated design language. And although there were no automotive role models that the designers could have referred to, the two-seater set visual trends and created its own class thanks to a whole host of unusual ideas. In the past ten years the smart has become an automotive icon and it combines extremely varied demands on function, aesthetics and safety technology to create something completely new.
The result is a bold design that confidently makes structural elements such as the tridion safety cell a significant part of the car’s styling. There could hardly be a more eloquent expression of that most basic principle of design, that form must follow function.
A further feature is the mix of materials consistently realised in a production vehicle for the first time with a hard core (tridion) and a flexible and functional shell consisting of thermoplastic bodypanels. In this way smart sets new trends and its shape alone gives it a likeable appearance whilst still being taken seriously.
Safety – a hard shell for the passengers
The smart fortwo is seen as a real trendsetter in terms of safety equipment in small cars. The tridion safety cell protects its occupants like the hard shell around a nut. In this way it also meets the extremely strict standards of Mercedes-Benz Cars. Moreover, it complies with American crash requirements and attained top ratings in US-SINCAP and EuroNCAP (four stars).
The basic equipment of the smart fortwo includes full-size airbags for driver and passenger, belt tensioners and belt-force limiters. Head/thorax side airbags are available as an option. esp® also comes as standard. This is not even available for an additional charge in many other small cars. The esp® includes hill-start assist and the anti-lock braking system abs. A hydraulic brake assist function is also part of the standard specification.
User-friendly gear shifting as a standard feature
The smart fortwo is fitted with an automated manual five-speed transmission (softip) as a standard feature. This means that there is no clutch pedal. To shift up a gear, the shift lever on the centre console merely requires a brief tap forwards, while pulling it back shifts down a gear. The passion version features the softouch automatic gear programme as standard, which enables the driver
to switch from manual gear shifting (softip) to an automatic gear programme (softouch) by pressing a button on the gear knob. Steering wheel gearshift is available as an optional extra.
The diesel version of the smart is the current CO2 champion
State-of-the-art compact three-cylinder petrol engines with a capacity of
999 cc are installed at the rear of the smart fortwo. In Western Europe customers can currently choose from two naturally aspirated engine versions with mhd (micro hybrid drive) technology delivering 45 or 52 kW (61/71 hp) respectively, and a turbo engine rated at 62 kW (84 hp). A three-cylinder turbo engine is also at the heart of the 72 kW (98 hp) smart fortwo BRABUS.
In addition, a diesel variant is available – the smart fortwo cdi – which is the world champion in low CO2 emissions. The 33 kW/45 hp two-seater car consumes just 3.3 litres of fuel (NEDC) per 100 kilometres on average, which means that it can travel approximately 1000 kilometres without refuelling.
This was confirmed by the Italian car magazine “Quattroruote” with a 1,000km drive from Rome to Salzburg. At just 88 grams per kilometre it has the lowest
CO2 emissions worldwide!
In addition, to further reduce petrol engine CO2 emissions, the smart fortwo mhd (micro hybrid drive) with an intelligent start/stop system and a 52 kW/71 hp engine has been available to customers in Europe since the autumn of 2007. This version automatically shuts down the engine as soon as the car’s speed falls below 8 km/h and the brake pedal is pressed. The engine starts again as soon as the driver releases the brake pedal. The standard consumption is reduced by approximately 0.4 litres – from 4.7 litres to around 4.3 litres per 100 kilometres. Average CO2 emissions are reduced from 112 grams to 103 grams per kilometre.
From October 2008 both the 52 kW/71 hp smart fortwo and the petrol version with a 45 kW/61 hp engine will be fitted with the user-friendly start/stop system as standard.
At the end of 2007 smart started a pilot project in London with the smart fortwo electric drive. Together with selected fleet customers start is testing 100 vehicles with electric drive there to gain real-world experience. Vehicles with electric drive are particularly quiet, highly efficient and produce no local emissions. As a zero-emission car the smart fortwo electric drive enjoys tax advantages and is exempt from local restrictions such as the congestion charge that applies in the British capital. This makes it a particularly interesting and environmentally friendly alternative in urban population centres. Series production of an electrically driven smart of the current generation with lithium-ion battery technology is planned for 2010. Lithium-ion technology has decisive advantages over other types of batteries, including extremely compact dimensions, much higher performance, a long life and high reliability.
Award-winning climate friendliness and economy
Protection of the environment is an integral part of all the fields of activity of
the smart brand. This does not only apply to the production facility in Hambach, France - it also applies to the smart fortwo itself, from the development and production of the vehicle to its operational period and later recycling. The internationally renowned Öko-Trend environmental institute has acknowledged the smart fortwo’s top position in matters relating to environmental friendlines.
and awarded it the coveted environmental certificate for cars. Moreover, the smart fortwo has been awarded the ÖkoGlobe by one of Germany’s largest insurance companies.
What’s more, several renowned trade journals have certified the innovative two-seater’s unparalleled economy and environmental friendliness. They came to the unanimous conclusion independently of one another: no car is cheaper to drive.
Production – European model plant in Hambach
The smart fortwo is produced in a purpose-built plant in the French town of Hambach – a clear commitment to Europe as a production location. The smart plant, also called “smartville”, started production in 1997. System partners located on site supply partly prefabricated modules straight to the assembly line. In some cases they fit their prefabricated modules in the smart themselves. This has enabled transport and logistics costs to be reduced to a minimum. Flexibility,
just-in-time and minimum delivery times at all levels are among the exemplary aspects of the process. This enables the smart fortwo to be assembled in only about three hours.
Success story – ten years of the smart fortwo
As early as the early 1970s developers at Mercedes-Benz started working on the “car of the future” and considering new revolutionary approaches that eventually led to the concept of an ultra-compact car two and a half metres long. Several years passed until the pioneering safety concept was developed that allowed the high level of safety typical of Mercedes to be realised in an extremely short car.
In 1989 Nicolas G. Hayek, the inventor of the Swatch watch, announced plans to launch a small city car on the market. To realise this idea Nicolas Hayek turned
to Mercedes-Benz as an experienced partner. Together, both partners founded Micro Compact Car AG with headquarters in Biel, Switzerland.
Finally, in 1997 the smart city coupé celebrated its world premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. Production and sales started in 1998. In
the same year, smart became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler-Benz AG
(now Daimler AG).
Further models and series
In the following years the smart brand launched the sports cars smart roadster and smart roadster-coupé (2003) and the four-seater smart forfour (2004) on the market. Following the decision to stop production of the smart roadster at the end of 2005 and of the smart forfour mid 2006, smart fully concentrated on the smart fortwo.
The innovative car brand has demonstrated its creative energy time and again with special vehicle models. These include the smart crossblade in 2002 that had neither doors, a roof nor a windscreen, and the smart crosstown show car in 2005 which was equipped with forward-looking hybrid drive.
Ten years after the first pilot production vehicles rolled off the production line, in 2007 the new smart fortwo was launched on the market. This model builds on the strengths of the visionary classic and further develops its virtues.
Already a classic
It is undisputed that the smart fortwo’s unique character has already made it an automotive classic, despite its young years. In 2002 the smart fortwo was the only vehicle to be included in the permanent collection of the world-famous Museum of Modern Art in New York whilst still in series production as a “contemporary design classic of the last decade of the last century”.
[Source: Daimler Media]
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The Smart ForTwo E.D Hits U.K Roads
September 2, 2008
Smart has just released several new images of the new Smart E.D “Electric Drive” in use within British cities.
No new details have yet been released, so patience is the game for now but all signs point to a positive future for this exciting little car.
Here is a little recap of some of details that are currently available about the Smart E.D:
The Smart E.D produces no carbon dioxide, unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide or any harmful substance. In reality it emits nothing at all. The car has a top speed of 60 mph, goes from 0-30 mph in 6.5 seconds and has a range of up to 70 miles per charge.
The Smart E.D preserves all the safety equipment you find in any gas powered Smart. The Smart E.D comes with has ESP, ABS brakes and two airbags. The Smart E.D is exempt from excise duty and congestion charges within major British cities.
Mercedes-Benz has delivered the first of 100 electric Smart ForTwos to fleet customers in the UK along with city councils and police departments.
Rated 41 hp with a speed of 0-37 miles per hour in 5.7 secs, with a maximum speed of 60 mph and a range of 70 miles per charge the Smart E.D will meet the needs of most inner city drivers.
In terms of practicality, the car has its own charger on board, which means it can be plugged directly into any UK mains 3 pin plug socket to recharge. A meter on the dash swivels through 90 degrees so it is possible to see the state of battery charge.
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