2008 Smart Fortwo Lorinser Passion Convertible on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Someone starts a new Car2go carsharing trip every 2.5 seconds

In the fall of 2009, a big idea using little cars got its US start in Austin, TX. That's when Daimler's Car2go carsharing program first came to North America after its global debut in Ulm, Germany. The idea was simple: let people rent a car for just a few minutes at a time, and let them end their rental when they got to wherever it was they were going (within limits). It sure seemed to make sense, but would Americans like short-term rentals in the little Smart cars? Four years later, we thought we'd ask where things stand. Car2go has more than 600,000 members, who have taken 18 million trips total and a new one every 2.5 seconds. Daimler started with a fleet of 200 Smart Fortwos in Austin (and a similar number in Ulm) and has now become, "the largest global carsharing company," according to J. Paul DeLong, the chief marketing officer of Car2go NA. You can now step into one of 10,000 Car2go Fortwos in 25 cities in seven countries (sadly, not all using the same account). DeLong told AutoblogGreen that, with, "more than 600,000 total worldwide members," 18 million trips total and a new trip starting every 2.5 seconds, Car2go is "fast on Zipcars heels." Car2go's push and pull with Zipcar looms big on DeLong's mind. He said that 73 percent of Car2go members in the US are not members of any other carsharing program. "So," he said, "think about how the Car2go one-way model has been able to attract more people to carsharing, because the classical carsharing was not attractive for them to join or not practical for their use. I love this stat, because everybody assumes that Car2go is piggy backing on the existing carsharing companies. It shows also that there is a lot of room for growth without having to engage existing classical carsharing member bases." We've got the breakdown of the membership numbers for Car2go North American locations below. According to DeLong, here are the official membership numbers for Car2go: North America: Austin: +32,000 San Diego: +24,000 DC: +30,000 PDX: +19,000 MIA: +18,000 SEA: +35,000 DEN: +16,000 VAN: +44,000 TOR: +25,000 CAL: +42,000 Minneapolis, Columbus, and Montreal member numbers have not been released. Europe: +320,000 members Three locations have an all-electric fleet with a total of 1,200 vehicles: Stuttgart San Diego Amsterdam Related Gallery Calgary Car2go News Source: Car2go Green smart Transportation Alternatives zipcar car2go austin

Smart spotted testing new Brabus Fortwo

By now AMG has produced versions of just about everything Mercedes makes, right down to the A-Class, CLA and GLA. But while even the smallest of Benzes have fallen under Affalterbach's knife, Daimler's performance division steers clear of the Smart brand and its products. For that, the German automaker collaborates with another legendary Silver Star tuner.
Brabus first worked its magic on the original Smart Fortwo in 2003, packing a warmed-over 700cc engine with 74 horsepower along with upgraded aero and rolling stock. The second-generation Brabus model took things further with a 101-hp 1.0-liter engine and other go-fast(er) goodies. And now that the new Fortwo is upon us, it looks like Brabus is at it again.
Spied with a camo wrap but no visible body cladding, the new Brabus city car is expected to pack more of a punch than its predecessors, with estimates ranging from 105 to 120 hp - which may not be much for most cars, but promises to transform the Smart into something more aggressive, especially when paired with a sportier suspension, dual exhaust and aero kit.

Smart Concept #1 shows the brand's premium electric crossover future

At this year's Munich Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz's budget brand, Smart, has revealed a concept that shows the future of its electric cars. And with four doors and borderline conventional design, it hardly seems like a Smart. It's called the Concept #1 (real original, we know), and it even seems like something that could find buyers in America. In actuality, a Smart four-door isn't all that strange. Its first four-door was the first-generation ForFour, which shared its underpinnings and powertrain with the Mitsubishi Colt and launched in 2004. Then there was the Renault Twingo-based second-generation ForFour, which was more like a stretched ForTwo. Unlike the Concept #1, those past ForFour models still featured Smart's trademark design features such as funky shapes and a contrast-colored passenger cell. The Concept #1 on the other hand looks positively mainstream. It has a typical two-box profile synonymous with crossovers, and it has a floating, contrast-colored roof; design cues we've seen many times before, and will see many times again. It certainly doesn't look bad, though, and it is quite smooth and sleek. It's also reasonably sized, measuring just a bit longer, taller and wider than a Kia Soul, but not quite as big as a Seltos. The interior is where it stands out more. It looks almost like a budget Mercedes-Benz, and the company says it wants to become more of a premium brand. Particularly eye-catching is the use of polished-gold-colored trim on the dash and the high floating center console. Paired with the white interior and copious ambient lighting, it's reminiscent of Maybach concepts. But the Concept #1 has just one screen sitting dead center, and it seems to take on the functions of infotainment, climate and instrumentation. Though the Concept #1 is, well, a concept, Smart says it previews a production model. Development is being headed by Geely, parent company of both Volvo and Lotus, and Mercedes will handle exterior and interior design. And in keeping with the brand's switch to selling only electric models, it will of course be electric. Specifications are unknown, though. With conventionally good looks and practical size, it will probably be a sales success. And if Mercedes wanted to try to relaunch the brand in the U.S., perhaps as a Mini alternative, this would probably be a good way to do so. Related video: