2015 Smart Fortwo Pure 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.

Smart hopes to jump-start brand by offering cheapest electric car

Bloomberg has reported that Daimler is looking at the Smart ForTwo Electric Drive to recharge the division's relevance and brand perception, and part of how the ForTwo ED will do that is by being the first mass-produced and the least expensive German electric car on the market. Some context: Bloomberg says the brand seeks 10,000 annual sales for its electron-powered runabout, which is just 10 percent of Smart global sales. More important than how many ForTwo EDs are sold, however, would be the fact that by beating the BMW i3 and electric Volkswagen e-Up! to market, it would "re-establish the brand's position as an urban mobility pioneer with the first mass-produced electric auto from a German manufacturer."
At least, that's the plan - one that we're inclined to file under "Things That Make You Go Hmmm...." We enjoyed our time in the ForTwo ED; the electric drivetrain was a perfect fit and remedied what is perhaps the principal gripe with the current car (in the U.S., at least) - its less-than-smooth transmission. Nevertheless, even though people open to electric cars and the premiums that electric and range-extended vehicles command, we have a feeling that Smart's pricing will continue to make it tough for the little guy to compete.
A conventional Smart starts at €10,275 ($13,489 U.S.) in Germany, and a conventional VW Up! is €9,850 ($12,931 U.S.). The ForTwo ED has been priced at €18,910 ($24,824 U.S.) plus €65 ($85.33 U.S.) per month for the battery - and we'd be surprised if VW didn't make sure the larger, plusher e-Up! was right there with it. The Renault Zoe - not German, we know - will be slightly more expensive at €20,600 (around $27k), plus a monthly fee for the battery, but the Zoe is a four-door hatchback the size of a Clio. Pricing for this landmass hasn't been announced, but the electric competition generally hits the mid-$30K mark: the four-door, four-seat Mitsubishi i-MiEV sets the low end at $29,625, the Nissan Leaf at $35,200, the BMW i3 is rumored to come in around $35,000, the Fiat 500E is predicted to be right there, too, and that's supposedly after Fiat swallows a hefty loss on each car. Chevrolet sets the high bar with the range-extended Volt at $39,145.

Smart jumps Fourjoy in Germany [w/video]

We've been waiting... and waiting... and waiting... for something new from Smart. Not another special edition of the Fortwo - even one with wings - can slake the brand's need for some fresh iron. Spy shots tell us that a couple of new models are on the way, but for now, we have this Smart Fourjoy concept, a buggy-like showcar that's said to preview the next-generation Forfour. Of course, unlike this concept, the production four-seater will come with full bodywork, but you're probably looking at a thinly veiled take on the the 2015 model's face and general proportions.
And while the production Forfour figures to come to market with gas and perhaps diesel offerings overseas, the Fourjoy borrows its motivation from the Fortwo Electric Drive - meaning a 55-kW electric motor backed by a 17.6-kWh lithium ion battery pack. We wouldn't be surprised if the next Forfour eventually gets a production EV model, but we wouldn't look for that at launch.
We're fine with all of this production-minded stuff, of course, but there's still something intriguing about the concept seen here. The Fourjoy sparks a latent curiosity within us that longs to see a fun-minded open-air beachmobile offered by a major automaker - something like a Fiat 500 Jolly or a Volkswagen Thing. Indeed, VW has been making noise about producing its Up! Buggy, but even if it doesn't, perhaps the company bold enough to produce the Smart ForJeremy will take a chance on getting some sand between its toes - provided it can negotiate crash testing.