UPDATED IMAGE LIBRARY November 12, 2006 The new smart fortwo has finally arrived: what began with the idealistic vision of a hybrid engined, cheap-to-manufacture, economical two seater with a low environmental footprint by Swatch CEO Nicolas Hayek in the early nineties, has finally seen its second edition. It’s our bet that Hayek will be judged as visionary albeit naive a century from now, as the automotive industry is a fraught with danger for the inexperienced, and by the time the car found a permanent home in the form of Daimler Chrysler, it was most of the things originally envisaged but cheap. As luck would have it, all of those strengths are becoming more important by the day, and the high tech, high cost intelligent decisions made a decade ago by a fledgling car company have now been reworked by masters of the art and the second generation smart fortwo is improved in every way. The smart fortwo coupé and smart fortwo cabrio were unveiled to more than 550 international journalists yesterday evening in Stuttgart for the very first time. The location was unusual, but nonetheless very fitting for the smart fortwo: in the middle of the city, on the roof of a multi-storey car park. In addition, there were presentations on comfort, agility, safety and environmental friendliness. After all, the new smart fortwo can do everything that its predecessor can do – but even better. This means that the new smart fortwo, despite looking almost identical to the untrained eye, is even more comfortable, even more agile, even safer and even more environmentally friendly than its predecessor.

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The comfort of a car depends on more than just its seats. Nonetheless, the seats have been further improved in the new smart fortwo.

The smart fortwo has always offered lots of driving pleasure and the new smart fortwo will be even more fun to drive. Apart from this, the vehicle concept is highly practical - especially for people who live in cities or urban areas. Because on most journeys a car carries just a single occupant, and because people make faster progress through the city in a smart fortwo. And because they don't have to search for a parking space, they find one right away.

The new petrol engines pack a far more powerful punch: The three cylinder engine has ca-pacity of one litre and comes in ratings of 45 kW, 52 kW or 62 kW (61 bhp, 71 bhp or 84 bhp). The engine power of the smart fortwo cdi has increased by ten percent and now stands at 33 kW (45 bhp).

All engines are linked to an automated manual five-speed transmission that has also been reengineered. The petrol variants now have a maximum speed of 145 km/h – 10 km/h more than the predecessor model.

The high level of passive safety has been further improved. As the new smart fortwo will be sold in the USA from 2008, it also complies with the strict American crash regulations as well as the high standards of the Mercedes Car Group.

Likewise, new regulations concerning pedestrian protection have been implemented in the front section. Furthermore, new head/thorax side airbags, offering extensive protection in the event of a side crash, are available as an option.

Despite the greater engine power, the standard consumption of the petrol variants is less than five litres of fuel. The new smart fortwo cdi consumes even less fuel. In accordance with the New European Driving Cycle, its consumption is less than 3.5 litres per 100 kilometres.

The diesel variant of the previous model already boasted the lowest consumption in its class. With an emission of just 90 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre, the new smart fortwo cdi achieves “three litre” status.

The dimensions have increased as against the first generation. The 19.5 centimetre increase in length benefits pedestrians, rear impact protection and especially ride comfort. The luggage compartment can hold 220 litres – 70 litres more than before – and when loaded to the roof there is space for up to 340 litres (a further 80 litres). The new smart fortwo also features the familiar twin-section tailgate. The lower section can be used as a little platform and facilitates loading and unloading.

Like the exterior, it goes without saying that the interior of the smart fortwo remains truly smart. Typical smart characteristics include the external-mounted air vents and additional dials, the large, fabric-covered areas on doors and instrument panel, the safety seats with integral seat belts and last but not least the ignition lock behind the shift lever.

The observer immediately notices that the instrument panel is no longer curved in an S-shape towards the passenger side but is now straight. This is partly to comply with US crash regulations. Nevertheless – and perhaps because of this – the new smart fortwo offers a unique feeling of spaciousness.

The high level of passive safety has been further improved. Internal crash tests have shown that the smart fortwo has been designed to achieve four EuroNCAP stars. And that’s not all: as the new smart fortwo will be sold in the USA from 2008 it also complies with the strict American crash regulations. Likewise, new regulations concerning pedestrian protection have been implemented in the front section. Furthermore, new head/thorax side airbags offering extensive protection in the event of a side crash are available as an option.

The outstanding economy of the smart fortwo is underlined by further optimisations. Despite the greater engine power, the petrol versions consume less than five litres of fuel over 100 km.

The smart fortwo with a starter generator that will be available from the end of 2007 and will be based on the 52 kW petrol version, promises further savings of up to 13 percent in city traffic. This has particular advantages when driving in urban areas and frequent stop-and-go traffic: the three-cylinder engine automatically switches off when the car stops at traffic lights, for example. It starts again as soon as the driver presses the accelerator pedal.

The new smart fortwo cdi consumes even less fuel. The diesel engine in the predecessor model already had the lowest consumption of its class and the new smart fortwo also achieves "three litre" status (corresponds to consumption of less than 3.5 litres/100 km under standard conditions) with emissions of just 90 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre.

Alternative drives are also possible and the new smart fortwo has been designed to allow for quick implementation of natural gas or electric drive concepts – as soon as there is a demand for these new drive systems and they become economically viable.

smart fortwo cabrio with an electric soft top

The smart fortwo cabrio's electric soft top is a further example of the enhanced comfort. It is now fully automatic and can be infinitely adjusted to any position. This means that the rear part, too, can be opened to the final position and closed again at the touch of a button and with a capability that is totally unique in the automotive industry, the smart fortwo doesn't have to be stationary for this – the soft top can be opened and closed at any driving speed. Furthermore, the roof bars can be removed and stowed in a special compartment in the tailgate. The soft top offers further added comfort and safety with the heated rear window made of glass.

Equipment variants pure, pulse and passion, BRABUS variant

The equipment lines continue to go by the names of pure, pulse and passion. Whereas the basic pure version has a plastic roof, the pulse and passion feature a transparent, high-strength panoramic roof made of polycarbonate. Fans of the BRABUS variant also have something to look forward to: the introduction of an uprated BRABUS variant is planned for autumn 2007.

Extensive range of standard equipment and options

The most important standard features include the tridion safety cell, front airbags, seat belts with belt tensioners and belt-force limiters and safety seats with integral seat belts. Further features that are unique in the standard spec of vehicles in this class include esp, abs and an integrated brake assist.

Further excerpts from the long list of standard equipment: H7 headlights featuring projection technology, central locking with radio remote control, folding driver and passenger seat backrests that can be adjusted with a notch lever, an exterior temperature indicator, comfort windscreen wipers with speed-sensitive interval wiping and indicators with lanechanger function.

The smart fortwo can be individualised and tailored to customer requirements with a wide range of extras. These include head/thorax side airbags, air conditioning (standard for passion), electric power steering, heated seats, alloy wheels (standard for pulse and passion), leather seats, Isofix child seat fastener, a high quality audio system with a CD changer for 6 CDs and a sound system featuring a subwoofer and an MP3 interface. Furthermore, a portable navigation system that can be integrated in the car is available. Voice instructions are given via the loudspeakers of the stereo system. Further options that are often only found in high-end cars include a light and rain sensor and electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors.

Hambach: exemplary modular production and protection of the environment

The smart fortwo is produced in the French town of Hambach. System partners on site deliver pre-assembled modules straight to the production line. The production process has been optimised and the production time reduced from 9.5 hours to 8 hours. The whole final assembly, which only took 4.5 hours for the predecessor model, now takes just 3.5 hours.

Great importance is given to protection of the environment in Hambach. Only water-soluble, solvent-free base coats are used for the smart fortwo's plastic bodypanels. The tridion safety cell is powder coated and no solvents are needed here, either. The solid colour bodypanels in the colours black, white and yellow are fully recyclable.

Same price level as the previous model

The basic price for the new smart fortwo will stay at the level of the predecessor model. The diesel variant, too, will remain an inexpensive "three litre" car that will continue the great success of its predecessor. Likewise, the new smart fortwo cabrio will continue to be by far the cheapest production cabriolet available worldwide.