2015 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe on 2040-cars

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Smart highlights safety of new Fortwo by crashing into much bigger brother

Smart is just getting ready to launch its new Fortwo and Forfour minicars, riding on a completely different platform, and the diminutive brand wants to show that its latest creations can stand up to some serious abuse. For such a tiny car, the crashworthiness of the Smarts is a legitimate concern when taking on larger, heavier vehicles. To prove their survivability, the company filmed a head-on collision pitting the latest Fortwo against a Mercedes-Benz S-Class weighing more than twice as much.
When it unveiled the latest cars, Smart touted that it crash-tested them against the larger Mercedes-Benz C-Class and S-Class. Among their updates, the Fortwo and Forfour use a substructure containing ultra-high strength, hot-formed steel and maximum-strength, multiphase steel. They also have larger crumple zones.
Of course, Smart can make all the claims that it wants about the cars' safety, but actually showing it to people is much more convincing. At 5,088 pounds, the S-Class dominates the 2,478-pound Fortwo in terms of weight. Scroll down to see how the little hatchback fares against the more expensive, luxury sedan in a 31-mile-per-hour frontal crash.

Meet the Smart Fortwo that should be competing in the 2013 Dakar Rally [w/video]

When it comes to specialty applications of the Smart Fortwo, "off-road motorsports" may seem about as likely as "amphibious assault vehicle." Yet a team has come up with just that (the former, not the latter), creating a rally-ready runabout dubbed the Smart Dakar.
The team used a Fortwo to create a "Smart Buggy 4x4." The creator's website claims that the vehicle is in compliance with FIA regulations, and weighs only 750 kilograms (1,653 pounds). As the name suggests, the intent of this vehicle is to compete in the Dakar Rally, and it looks the part.
It may be the most hard-nosed Smart that you'll ever find, but it has an uphill battle to make it to competition. The race team, headed by Jose Luis "JL" Alvarez, does not have the funds to field a full assortment of vehicles, including two Smarts and a Honda CRF-450, and now all plans have been canceled for this year's Dakar Rally.

Smart Forease+ adds a fabric roof to electric speedster concept

We aren't sure what the Smart Forease+ previews, if anything, but the 21-year-old microcar brand is bringing the diminutive concept to the Geneva Motor Show. This is an update on the Forease - no "+" - concept it debuted as last year's Paris Motor Show. The big change is that the Forease+ has a speedster-type roof, consisting of a hard fabric shell with a soft fabric cover. The removable roof in a "rough amber" color locks into the top rail of the chopped windscreen and at two openings on the rear corner. There's nowhere to store the fabric expanse inside the coupe, so going without means trusting the weather. As with last year's Forease, the Forease+ has no side or rear windows. Nor does it have any climate control; the vent housings remain, but they are filled with supplementary gauges like a battery charge display and a clock. With the supplemental roof, Smart says the Forearse+ is "more than suited to all weather conditions in cities." Not much else has changed from the last concept. The green highlights in the Paris example have turned to amber, such as in the front vents and the speaker grilles. The tri-LED headlights are exposed, no longer behind glass. The instrument panel is stitched up in amber Nappa leather. And the seat belts are illuminated. The Forease+ is based on the production Smart EQ, and we wish we could see something good coming from it. As the brand transitions to an all-electric lineup and figures out a future potentially without Renault, what's one to do with another impractical-looking exercise that "develops the predecessor's minimalistic idea?"