A part of the Daimler AG company (which manufacturers cars under Mercedes-Benz and the prestige and luxury brand Maybach), Smart are a relatively new car manufacturer, established only 16 years ago in 1994.
Originally founded as a project between both Swatch (most famous for their Swiss watches) and Daimler-Benz, Swatch dropped their involvement in 1998, when full control was passed to Daimler-Benz, where it has been ever since (under the larger Daimler AG umbrella).
The initial idea behind Smart was to have a brand that solely produced microcars, modern equivalents of the ever popular bubblecars of the 1960s. Whilst the company still primarily produces microcars to this date, they have expanded their range somewhat, incorporating sports cars and superminis, albeit with the very distinctive Smart car design.
Manufacturing of the very first Smart car began on 27 October 1997, with the intended city-couple estimated to be in Mercedes-Benz and Smart dealers within 6 months. However, due to some flaws in the initial prototype designs, it was decided to put the delivery date back a further 6 months to October 1998.
Launching as planned (on the second date), the first car was available in Smart dealers in nine separate countries in Europe. The primary idea behind the city-coupe was to allow for driving and parking around the small, back streets of Europes towns to be done with ease. When the car was delivered, this proved to be one if its major selling points, as at a mere 98.4 inches in length, the car could fit sideways into a standard sized car parking space.
The first generation of the city-coupe, produced until 2007, was available in three different engine sizes; 0.6 and 0.7 litre petrol and a 0.8 litre diesel, all of which were turbo.
A particular success in most parts of Europe, it took until 2002 for the car to reach the American shores and a further 4 years before Daimler AG explained that there would be an official distributor in America, Smart USA.
Partly due to the fact that Americans have historically preferred larger cars (with wider roads in general than Europe, there is not a great demand for small cars), Smart USA offered Americans the ability to pay a deposit, which was fully refundable, in March 2007 for the new Smart car. It was therefore surprising to hear that all expectations were exceeded when the car was delivered, with many people have to effectively join a waiting list to get their hands on a model of their own.
When the second generation of the city-coupe was introduced in 2007, it had a somewhat larger engine size at 1 litre, but it also had a reduced gearbox size, dropping from the 6 speed transmission on the first generation to a more standard 5 speed.
Aside from the fact that the city-coupe (or fortwo as it is now known) is one of the smallest mass-produced cars in the world, it is also one of the most economical and safest cars on the road, with the US Environmental Protection Agency saying that the car was the most fuel efficient two seated car in 2008 and the Euro New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP), giving the car 4 out of 5 cars for adult occupancy safety.
It may not be the best looking car in the world, but the Smart city-coupe remains as one of the most popular in its class, anywhere in the world.
Author Resource:-
Jardine Motors Group UK operates a large portfolio of specialist franchises of the world's most prestigious marques, including Smart dealers.
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