2016 Smart Fortwo Prime on 2040-cars

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Smart USA doesn't take crap from anyone

The minds at Smart USA took to Twitter to make a point about the manufacturer's tridion safety cell recently. Clayton Hove, who runs a snarky blog about advertising, joked that he "Saw a bird had crapped on a Smart Car. Totaled it," leaving the door wide open for Smart to work up a response. And respond the automaker did.
Smart USA fired off a tweet of its own, complete with an infographic (click above to enlarge) depicting exactly how much bird excrement it would take to damage the vehicle's safety cell. According to Smart, the structure can withstand up to 9,000 pounds of pressure, which equates to around 4.5 million pigeon droppings.
Smart didn't stop at just doing the math. The company worked up a handy infographic to break down exactly how many turkey or emu droppings would do the same damage. Turns out those numbers are 360,000 and 45,000, respectively. Hilarious. Check out Smart Twitter account to see the original exchange.

2017 Smart Fortwo Cabrio is the cheapest convertible you can buy

When it arrives at dealers this fall, the 2017 Smart Fortwo Cabrio will be the least expensive convertible on the market. When equipped with a manual transmission, the new Cabrio starts at $18,900, making it the only convertible available for under $20,000 dollars. Its closest competitor, the Fiat 500c, starts at $20,395. Opting for the six-speed dual-clutch transmission bumps the price of the Fortwo up to $19,890. An all-new Smart Fortwo was released for 2016, but the Cabrio went on hiatus. The new Fortwo comes equipped with a 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder pumping out 89 hp and an even 100 lb-ft of torque. All that power moves the tiny two-seater to 60 mph in 10.4 seconds. While it may not be quick, it is customizable. The new Cabrio is available in a variety of colors, including the choice of a red or black soft top. The Smart Fortwo Cabrio's small footprint and two seats limit its appeal, but it does offer affordable top-down driving in a compact, easy to maneuver package. The current Smart Fortwo is leagues better than the car it replaced. We expect the new Cabrio model to be much the same. Featured video:

Daimler consulting with Ford about 3-cylinder engines

Soon enough, Ford will offer its 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder engine under the hood of the Fiesta here in the United States, building on the success of the small powerplant overseas. In fact, this success has caused other automakers to take notice, and according to Automotive News Europe, Daimler is now talking to Ford about this engine for use in its own products.
In other markets, Ford offers the 1.0-liter mill under the hood of the Focus (we had the chance to sample this package on our home turf), as well as the B-Max MPV. For this new collaboration, Daimler would use the turbo-three in the next-generation Smart ForTwo, as well as the Renault Twingo, which the German automaker will be collaborating on as part of its alliance with Renault-Nissan. Speaking to AN, a Mercedes-Benz engineer called the 1.0-liter mill an "interesting and impressive engine."
In exchange for details about the EcoBoost inline-three, Daimler will supply Ford with information regarding its Euro6 stratified lean-burn gasoline engine, which is found in the new E-Class sedan.