2015 Smart Fortwo Pure on 2040-cars

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Smart bringing electric scooter to U.S. in 2014, will be part of Car2go

In a blink-and-you'd-miss-it announcement during an event in Berlin, the head of marketing and sales for Smart, Martin Hülder, told us that the third model in the Smart e-Mobility range - after the Smart ForTwo Electric Drive and eBike - will be the Smart electric scooter (or "smart scooter"). To be fair, the original announcement happened in mid-May at a shindig in Davos, Switzerland, but Daimler had some new news for us in Berlin.
The stylish two-wheeler was first shown at the 2010 Paris Motor Show but was whisked into limbo from there, presumably to end up a no-go along with several previous ideas from the traditionally cash-burning company. Instead, the scooter has gotten the green light and the United States is a key market for it.
To rehash the features of the silent plug-in runabout, a 48-volt lithium-ion battery pack stored down low behind your feet supplies juice to a 4-kW (i.e. 5.4 horsepower) wheel-hub electric motor at the rear wheel. Top speed is listed at 45 km/h or 28 mph - a choice by Smart that allows the scooter to be driven on streets in many countries before one has a driver's license.

Brabus-tuned Smart on the way, just not for America

At this very moment, one of our intrepid editors is traipsing about Spain behind the wheel of the new Smart ForTwo Cabriolet. While you wait (eagerly, we're sure) for our First Drive review, there's another snippet of Smart news floating about the net: Top Gear is reporting that Brabus will once again turn its tuning talents to the tiny ForTwo. And that's absolutely correct – a Brabus-tuned ForTwo is on the way, in case those spy shots from December 2014 didn't make that obvious enough. But that vehicle won't be coming to the US, a Mercedes-Benz USA rep told Autoblog. Instead, we'll be getting a sporty appearance pack that may or may not wear Brabus branding. Based on a couple rounds of spy photos, we're expecting a pretty normal stylistic upgrade. The front and rear fascias will be updated, with sportier grilles at the front. The sills will also get a sportier look, and there will be larger wheels, too. Changes in the cabin are more difficult to predict. We can speculate on what the new appearance pack will contain, but not when it will arrive. It sounds to us like the kind of thing that will arrive at the start of a new model year, so potential ForTwo owners will probably be waiting for the 2017 to get a sportier looking city car. Related Video: Featured Gallery Smart Fortwo Brabus: Spy Shots Image Credit: CarPix smart Hatchback Economy Cars Performance Brabus confirmed

2016 Tech of the Year | Autoblog Minute

Deliberation on the winners of Autoblog's Tech of the Year Award is under way. Nominees for best car in 2016 are: the Tesla Model S, the Chevy Volt and the BMW 7 series. Nominees for best tech in 2016 are: Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, VW's MiB II with AppConnect, Ford Sync 3, Audi Virtual Cockpit, the Smart Cross Connect App, and Volvo Sensus. Autoblog's Chris McGraw reports on this edition of Autoblog Minute. Audi BMW Chevrolet Ford smart Tesla Volvo Technology of the Year Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video volt android auto ford sync 3