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2017 Smart ForTwo ED is cheaper than its smaller, slower charging predecessor

The latest Smart ForTwo ED already has a bevy of advantages compared with its predecessor. It's bigger, its motor is more potent with 80 horsepower and 115 pound-feet of torque, and it charges way more quickly. It's on-board charger gets it to an 80-percent charge in just 2.5 hours when hooked up to a 240V charger instead of the 4.5 hours of the predecessor. Now it has price on its side, too. The coupe starts at $24,550, which is $1,200 less than the old model. The convertible version doesn't get cheaper, but it doesn't get more expensive either. It starts at the same $28,750 as the previous drop-top version. When applying the $7,500 national tax credit for EVs, the Smart ForTwo ED looks even more affordable, with the coupe starting at $17,050, and the convertible starting at $21,250. Both models come with additional standard features including cruise control and a warranty for the battery. Smart now offers a Climate Package that adds a heated steering wheel and seats, and also adds more insulation to improve the efficiency of the climate control system. This will likely be a good package for people looking to stay comfortable while maximizing the ForTwo ED's 70- to 80-mile electric range. The Smart ForTwo ED will arrive on dealer lots this summer. And, unlike some larger competitors such as the Kia Soul EV and Fiat 500e, the Smart ForTwo ED will be available nationwide. Related Video: Featured Gallery New Smart Fortwo Electric Drive View 30 Photos Image Credit: Sebastian Blanco Green smart Convertible Coupe Economy Cars Electric smart fortwo ed

Aging Smart Fortwo ED to be sold alongside newer ICE model

The biggest thing to happen to the tiny Smart Fortwo in years is the redesign that we followed in the second half of 2014. While the internal combustion version of the new Fortwo will arrive in in the US later this year, we will have to wait "approximately a year after that" for the the EV version to come here. Mark Webster, the general manager of Smart USA, spoke to AutoblogGreen at the Detroit Auto Show this week, and said that the plug-in version of the 453 (Smart's internal code for the new ForTwo, which replaces the 451) will not be available in the US until late 2016 or perhaps even early 2017. What the means is that for around a year, Smart will sell the new gas-powered Fortwo next to old ED models on the same lot. While this is going to make the plug-in look a bit outdated, at least when the new ED goes on sale, it will come with a similar array of personalization and customization options as the current model does, Webster said. Any information beyond that is something we'll just have to sit and wait for. "Right now, we're not revealing too many statistics of the new cars becasue we're focusing on the EVs we have," he said, adding that, "We sold over 2,000 of these EVs last year and 921 in 2013. So we're doing very well." Smart sold 2,594 Fortwo EDs in the US last year. Despite this delay in getting the new electric Fortwo to market, Webster said that Daimler is very committed to EVs, and he personally also handles the B-Class Electric. "We have other models we're working on down the road that are dedicated EVs," he said, without going into further detail. Check out our review of the new ICE Fortwo here. Featured Gallery Smart Fortwo Electric Drive Vehicles: Detroit 2015 View 14 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2015 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Green Detroit Auto Show smart Electric

Daimler cutting Mercedes and Smart prices by 18% in Switzerland

Automakers including Daimler and PSA are now offering substantial discounts in Switzerland to make it more affordable for Swiss customers to buy their cars, according to the latest from Bloomberg. The move, instituted by two of Europe's largest automakers, comes in response to the surprise decision last week by the Swiss National Bank to suddenly abandon its longstanding policy of capping trading of the Swiss Franc to 1.20 francs per euro. The policy has sent the value of the franc soaring, making imports into Switzerland less expensive while increasing the value of its exports. The discounts being offered by the automakers could therefore be viewed more as price adjustments to better match the changing currency value rather than an actual incentive. But whichever way you look at it, a new Mercedes or Smart will now cost Swiss buyers 18 percent less than the list price, while Peugeot and Citroen dealers in the Confoederatio Helvetica are chopping 1,000 francs ($1,144) off the price of a new passenger car or 1,500 francs ($1,716) for a new commercial vehicle. Conversely, high-end Swiss watchmakers like Rolex and Patek Philippe are looking at increasing their prices to keep up with the currency fluctuation, particularly in Japan, where the yen has dropped 17 percent against the franc in the past few days. News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Sandro Campardo/Keystone/AP Mercedes-Benz smart Car Buying Citroen Peugeot switzerland