Smart (car brand)

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smart
owner Daimler AG
Introductory year 1994
Products Automobiles
Markets worldwide
Website www.smart.de
The current third generation is offered as " Forfour " and " Fortwo ".
Smart as an " airport vehicle "
Smart of the Viennese police

Smart (spelling: smart ) is an automobile brand of Daimler AG founded in 1994 .

history

The idea

Micro Compact Car (study left: Eco Sprinter, right: Eco Speedster)
Eco Speedster (1994) with Brabus Smart electric drive (2009)

The idea of ​​a vehicle below the VW Polo class was a constant concern of the automotive industry in the 1980s. In 1986 Daimler-Benz presented the projection of a Mercedes city car ( NAFA , Auto Bild Heft 33/1986 and auto motor und sport Heft 7/1986), with front-wheel drive and transverse engine (by Daihatsu); this design can be described as the harbinger of the Smart. Not only industry, but also numerous German colleges and universities have dealt with the idea of ​​a miniature car . Two examples of this:

  1. The BCC project (1984–1989) at the Pforzheim University of Design; some students under the direction of Johann Tomforde (who later became the Smart project manager) incorporated the most important conceptual properties into the project.
  2. The Mocar project (1986–1988) at the Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Kassel (University of Kassel), where the automotive designer Mouftoglou Dimitris (formerly a student in Pforzheim), under the direction of Horst Sommerlatte (Recaro, Airbus), presented a concept that was compatible with the later Smart has numerous similarities (including shape, format, vehicle philosophy). The work results were presented to the industry (6/1989: 9 years before the Smart introduction) and received with great interest.

founding of the company

The consistent marketing of the idea began Nicolas Hayek , the founder of the Swatch Group . His vision of a Swatch mobile that should be small and, above all, cheap, led him to the VW Group . Among other things, the concept envisaged a replaceable body (similar to the Swatch watches) as well as a collaboration with the railway, in the form of the ability to carry the car for long journeys. When VW left the project, Mercedes-Benz stepped in . Until the beginning of 1994 there were only two design studies. In addition to the innovative design, Nicolas Hayek attached great importance to an environmentally friendly electric or hybrid drive. The Smart company was founded in 1994 by Hayek in Biel as a joint subsidiary of Daimler-Benz and SMH SA (Sociéte Suisse de Microélectronique et d'Horlogerie) as Micro Compact Car AG . In the course of the development of the Fortwo (at that time still called "City Coupé"), Hayek left the project because he no longer wanted to participate in the increasing development costs and because Daimler-Benz refused to use technologies (such as electric motors directly on the wheels) for a fuel-efficient car, which should actually make the sense of this car. At that time, Daimler-Benz saw no future for electric or hybrid drives. “Today's gasoline-powered Smart is a product from Daimler-Benz and has nothing in common with the plans of the former Swatch team.” Thereupon Hayek sold his shares on November 1, 1998 to Daimler-Benz. In September 2002 the Micro Compact Car Smart GmbH changed its name to Smart GmbH .

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Company headquarters in Böblingen

The administration center of Smart is in Böblingen . Production takes place in Hambach , France , near the Saarland border, and at times in Born in the Netherlands . The production facility in Hambach is also called Smartville . The Fortwo and its convertible variant are produced there, the Roadster was also produced here, and the Forfour was produced in Born . In the course of 2006, production was switched to the new model. The employees were integrated into the DaimlerChrysler organization on October 1, 2006. Smart GmbH was dissolved on December 31, 2006.

Smart-Center Darmstadt (demolished 2012)
Smart-Center Cologne-Marsdorf

Restructuring from 2005

Before the sales structure was changed, there were 106 independent so-called “Smart Centers” in Germany in March 2005, easily recognizable by the typical glass smart tower. The Erlangen architect Ralph Küster conceived and designed the system building, which can be varied in different module sizes, as early as 1998. At the turn of the year 2005/2006, most of the centers were closed. Sales and service are now mainly implemented by existing Daimler branches in a shop-in-shop concept. There are also numerous authorized car dealerships that are now selling and maintaining the Smart. The economic situation is still tense today. For this reason, the sales concept was changed, the product range reduced and new developments stopped. Roadster and Forfour were no longer produced.

The company has focused on the Fortwo . The current model has been produced and offered for sale as a coupé and convertible since spring 2007; its development was completed in 2006. The Brabus variant has been available since autumn 2007. In view of its planned market launch in North America, the new Smart has been lengthened by a total of almost 20 centimeters in order to meet the crash standards there (larger “crash boxes” at the front and rear). After a successful marketing campaign and registration phase for prospective buyers in 2007, the Smart ForTwo has been delivered to customers in the USA since February 2008. The market launch was favored by particularly high gasoline prices in 2008.

100 Smart Fortwo with electric drive are being tested in a large-scale trial in London, but these are still based on the previous model. Mercedes environmental director Herbert Kohler announced on June 11, 2008 that the current generation of models would still feature an “E-Smart” with lithium-ion batteries.

Smart fortwo micro hybrid drive
A Smart Roadster travels on the tightrope to the Stuttgart TV tower

The Smart fortwo micro hybrid drive has been in production since October 2007 , in which a belt-driven starter generator (rSG) functions as a start-stop system . The standard consumption is reduced by approx. 0.4 liters per 100 kilometers. The name was criticized because the term suggests a hybrid drive. For image reasons, however, several manufacturers are trying to establish the term “micro hybrid” as a name for an automatic start-stop system.

In 2009, Smart sales worldwide fell by 18.1 percent to 113,900 units - despite the environmental bonus . On the occasion of the cross-participation of Renault and Mercedes in 2010, the small car segment came more into focus - and with it the Smart. In addition, because of the EU's CO 2 policy ( European program for climate protection ), reducing fleet emissions of CO 2 has become an important goal for car developers.

The Smart is “actually the perfect model for an electric car, but the costs are far too high.” The new Smart two-seater and Smart four-seater - built in Slovenia from 2014 - was developed together with the Renault Twingo III .

The sales partner of Daimler AG in America, Smart USA, a company of the Penske Automotive Group , announced a five-door model based on a Nissan vehicle architecture for the beginning of 2012.

On February 16, 2011, Daimler announced that it would transfer sales as well as management and marketing activities from the Penske Automotive Group to Mercedes-Benz USA from summer 2011 due to the sharp decline in interest in smart vehicles in the USA.

In 2019, Daimler and the Chinese car manufacturer Geely , the largest single shareholder of Daimler, founded a joint venture in which both companies each have a 50% stake. The Smart is expected to be built in China from 2022, while production in France and Slovenia will end in 2022.

New car registrations in Germany

year Units (pieces) Market share
in percent
2015 37,808 1.20
2014 22,408 0.70
2013 26,009 0.88
2012 28,053 0.90
2011 29,470 0.90
2010 29,069 1.00
2009 33,980 0.89
2008 33,805 1.09
2007 31,974 1.02
2006 30,286 0.87
2005 42,556 1.27
2004 50.174 1.54
2003 43,856 1.35
2002 44,800 1.38
2001 46.364 1.39

Source: Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA)

Sales in the USA

year units
2014 10,453
2013 09,264
2012 10,009
2011 05,208
2010 05,927
2009 14,600
2008 24,600

Brand name

The brand name smart is explained as a combination of s watch, m ercedes and art . All product names are written in lower case analogous to the brand name. In English , “smart” means something like “clever”, “fashionable”, “chic” or “smart”.

Models and launch

Overview / timeline

Smart models timeline since 1998
Type 90s 2000s 2010s 2020s
8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0
City Car fortwo coupé (C 450) fortwo coupé (C 451) fortwo (C 453)
BRABUS fortwo (C 450) BRABUS fortwo (C 451) BRABUS fortwo (C 453)
smart K (C 450)
Convertible fortwo cabrio (A 450) fortwo cabrio (A 451) fortwo cabrio (A 453)
BRABUS fortwo cabrio (A 451) BRABUS fortwo cabrio (A 453)
crossblade (R 450)
Small car forfour (W 454) forfour (W 453)
BRABUS forfour (W 453)
Roadster roadster (R 452)
Coupe roadster-coupé (C 452)
  • In cooperation with Mitsubishi , on the same platform as the Colt
  • In cooperation with Renault , on the same platform as the Twingo III

    • Key numbers

    Some Smart models are listed at the Federal Motor Transport Authority under Smart's own manufacturer key numbers (HSN) 7009, 8773 or 9891, others under the Mercedes-Benz HSN 0999 or 1313.

    Fortwo

    The first model from Smart, the Fortwo , is a rear-wheel drive, two-seater microcar. From the market launch in October 1998 to the market launch of the Forfour (early 2004), it was known as the City Coupé . The 2nd generation appeared in 2007 and the 3rd generation in 2014. From the end of 2012 to mid-2015, the ED3 version of the Smart Fortwo was also available with an electric drive. The market launch of the electric version of the third generation of the Smart Fortwo ( 453 series ) took place in March 2017 (also referred to as the fourth generation of the Smart ed for all Smart models).

    At the IAA in September 2017, the development department presented the smart vision EQ fortwo . This is a concept study without a steering wheel and pedals. The car is controlled either by means of a mobile device belonging to the user or by means of voice input. The model is equipped with a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 30 kilowatt hours. When not in use, the vehicle is able to independently drive to a charging station and refuel here . However, it can also deliver electricity to other small consumers via an automatic connection to the grid. Another special feature is that neither conventional headlights nor taillights are used, whereas a black panel grill provides the lighting. Instead of the headlights, LED displays show driving graphics with eye-like shapes; This means that communication should no longer only take place technically, but also “on a more human level”. Further information that is not directly related to the vehicle (weather, restaurants, events, ...) can be displayed on the side windows covered with a special film. Inside there is a black panel display in the front area as the central interface for interactions with the occupants. The aim is for the vehicle to find the driver who does not have to walk to any parking space. This should also lead to a completely new car sharing concept. The period from 2020 onwards is named as the target for a possible market launch. Prices are not being discussed yet.

    Roadster

    Smart roadster

    The Smart Roadster is a flat two-seater roadster. Development began in autumn 1998 and was launched on April 11, 2003.

    The roadster was offered in two designs, a Smart Roadster and a Smart Roadster Coupé . Both model variants are identical except for the rear trunk. The Roadster has a notchback, while the Coupé has a fully glazed rear structure (glass dome) that offers additional storage space. The roadsters are equipped with either a 45 kW (61 PS) or a 60 kW (82 PS) suprex turbo engine. The roadsters and coupés, equipped exclusively by Brabus, are powered by a 74 kW (101 hp) turbo engine. All three engines have 698 cm³ cubic capacity from 3 cylinders and are based on the block engine of the Smart Fortwo.

    All roadsters have a choice of a hard top or an electric folding top ( soft top ). The hard top consists of two halves and can be stowed in the rear trunk of the car if no soft top has been installed. The soft top is similar to that of the Smart Cabrio . However, it folds into part of the trunk under the roll bar of the tridion cell. It can be opened and closed within approx. 10 seconds while driving at any speed. In addition, when the roof is completely open, as with the Smart Cabrio, the side roof pillars can be removed and stowed in the front trunk.

    Production of the Smart Roadster was discontinued in autumn 2005 following a previous decision by the DaimlerChrysler Board of Management. In Hambach (Lorraine) the last of 43,000 vehicles built rolled off the production line on November 4, 2005. When production ended, around 11,000 vehicles had not yet been sold.

    Forfour

    Smart Forfour

    The Smart Forfour is a compact class car. It was built from April 2004 to July 2006. It was a joint product with Mitsubishi and shared about 40 percent of the parts with the Mitsubishi Colt . It was built with this at the Mitsubishi subsidiary Netherlands Car BV (NedCar) in Born ( Netherlands ).

    With the cooperation between Daimler and the Renault-Nissan Alliance, another Smart for four people came onto the market in November 2014, based on the Renault Twingo and again under the name Forfour. The Smart Fourjoy study at the IAA 2013 gave an outlook on the four-seater. The market launch of the electric version of the second generation of the Smart Forfour (453 series) took place in March 2017 (also referred to as the fourth generation of the Smart ed for all Smart models).

    Formors (no launch)

    The next vehicle model after the 1st generation ForFour was to be an off-road vehicle with the name Formore . It was planned to start manufacturing it in Brazil in 2006 . Smart wanted to force its way into the US market. However, the development of the vehicle model was stopped as part of extensive renovation measures.

    Crosstown (study)

    Smart Crosstown

    A concept study called Crosstown was presented at the IAA 2005 in Frankfurt am Main . The off-road vehicle, similar to a jeep, was to have a folding windshield. The equipment should be geared towards young drivers - like the entire Smart model series. A USB interface for portable MP3 players and a docking station for handhelds should be available as standard .

    Tridion 4 (study)

    The (MCC) Smart Tridion 4 is a prototype with three cylinders, a top speed of 135 km / h, 45 kW (61 hp) at 5250 rpm, 599 cm³ displacement and 3.65 m length. The study presented an outlook on the design of the future smart forfour .

    Convertible

    Smart convertible

    The Smart Cabrio is a Smart Fortwo as a convertible with an electrically opened fabric roof and removable roof bars. It was introduced in March 2000. The engine and equipment of the Smart Cabrio correspond to a Fortwo Coupé , but the basic engine is reserved for the Fortwo Coupé . The electric soft top can be opened in three different ways. On the one hand, the convertible top can be retracted and closed electrically (even while driving). You can also let the convertible top fall down in a guide at the push of a button, and then lock it manually with light pressure. The side roof bars can now be removed and stowed in a specially designed holder in the tailgate. The fabric top comes from the top specialist Webasto . From model year 2001 ( 1st generation ), the convertible in the Pulse and Passion model variants was given a headliner covered with light-colored fabric. The Smart Cabrio with CDI diesel engine is the world's only 3-liter convertible in series production.

    The new convertible (model year 2007, 451 series) has a heated glass rear window, and the convertible top can now be completely lowered and raised without an intermediate step. However, the longitudinal spars must still be removed by hand.

    Crossblade

    Smart Crossblade

    The Smart Crossblade is a Smart Fortwo Cabrio & Pure without a roof and windshield, developed by Bertrandt AG as the general contractor and converted in small series . Instead of conventional doors, there are only narrow safety bars on the sides. The Smart Crossblade is a so-called fun car designed for pure fair-weather driving. It was available from June 2002, the number was limited to 2000 pieces. The vehicle is weatherproof and can even be driven through a standard car wash, as there are several water drains in the vehicle and all relevant parts of the interior have been redeveloped accordingly. The Smart Crossblade with the serial number “0001” was demonstrated by Robbie Williams on his 2002 tour and then auctioned on eBay . In 2002, 51,049.99 euros were achieved, which went to the Robbie Williams Foundation "Give It Sum".

    Smart Vision EQ Fortwo (study)

    Smart Vision EQ Fortwo

    In 2017, a study was presented at the IAA, which should show the future of the Fortwo as an autonomous automobile . The concept vehicle has no classic control instruments, such as a steering wheel or pedals, and noticeable doors that swing upwards. Instead of headlights, the concept vehicle has several external displays that are supposed to communicate with the environment.

    Technical features

    The gear shift of the fortwo and roadster models in the Pure and Pulse series is a six-stage semi - automatic (technical: an automatically operated manual transmission, including the operation of the clutch and gas). This solution resulted in two considerations: On the one hand, the Smart (Fortwo) should be easy to drive as a modern small car, and on the other hand, the limited space (footwell, center console) was decisive. Fortwo and Roadster (Forfour at an additional cost) are switched sequentially with a joystick without a clutch pedal . When the joystick is operated (+/-), only switching impulses are triggered, which are carried out mechanically by an actuator in the transmission. Downshifting at high engine speeds is supported by automatic double-declutching. At the same time, the control automatically adjusts the accelerator and clutch to suit the driving style. Stalling, incorrect shifting and overspeeding of the engine are almost impossible. When you approach a traffic light, the Smart “pulls” the gears, that is, it shifts down and supports the coasting with the braking torque of the motor. When the vehicle is stationary, the transmission control automatically engages first gear. The Passion and Brabus series have a fully automatic gear shift as standard. For the pure and pulse models, this could be ordered at an additional cost.

    The power transmission is operated by manual actuation of the joystick (softtip) or, depending on the scope of equipment, fully automatically (softtouch) adaptively and is adapted to the driving style of the driver. The parameters speed, engine speed and engaged gear are measured as well as the accelerator pedal position and angular speed on the accelerator pedal (but: no hill detection). In manual mode, too, the clutch is brought to grind in certain driving conditions (for example at full throttle in high gear and low speed) in order to build up torque. This enabled so-called pendulum shifts (short downshifts to accelerate followed by upshifts) to be avoided, so that the overall driving impression is perceived as more harmonious. In addition, from 2003 shift paddles were offered on the steering wheel for an additional charge.

    In contrast to a classic (converter) automatic transmission, the Smart only starts moving when the accelerator is applied and not when the footbrake is released. With the model upgrade (ESP instead of Trust), the Smart Fortwo also has a starting aid, which prevents the car from rolling back. There is also no parking mode, so that there is no parking lock when there is an uphill or downhill gradient. According to the factory, the vehicle can be safely parked in reverse with the handbrake on.

    The Forfour model has a normal manual transmission as standard. The semi-automatic is available on request and has a crawling function known from (torque converter) automatic cars, which is simulated via a slipping clutch.

    The smart motors M 160 (petrol) and OM 660 (diesel) are offered by the supplier Ecofly as aircraft motors for ultralight and light aircraft as well as for motor gliders. A. for the B&F FK 9 . For this purpose, Ecofly developed a complete electronics conversion kit with the support of Mercedes-Benz. With the model variant FK9 smart of the B&F FK 9, the company B&F Technik Vertriebs GmbH was the first to equip an ultralight aircraft with smart motors as standard.

    Misleading advertising and warning

    According to a press release from Deutsche Umwelthilfe , which has been confirmed by the Berlin Environment Agency , the automobile manufacturer advertises its Smart Fortwo CDI Turbodiesel vehicle with the sales argument that the engine has "a PM filter specially developed for this car" (catalytic converter), which means that under other tax advantages in terms of taxation and resale. Technical studies have shown that this filter technology is far inferior to a modern soot particle filter. The filter enables compliance with the Europe-wide binding Euro-4 standard, but falls short of compliance with the Euro-5 standard by more than five times. The technology used achieves just 30 to 40 percent of the pollutant filtering of a conventional particle filter.

    The DUH is convinced that DaimlerChrysler is not only misleading its customers by incorrectly labeling the PM catalytic converter as a diesel particulate filter, but is also gaining a competitive advantage over competitors who actually install highly effective and considerably more expensive filters as standard. DaimlerChrysler was warned for the misleading advertising.

    Plagiarism

    In October 2006 it became known that the Chinese company CMEC is building a model called Electric City Smart, which is explicitly intended for export to Europe and - outwardly - is an almost identical-looking copy of the Smart City Coupé built in 1998-2000. DaimlerChrysler announced legal action against the copy.

    The Chinese company Shuanghuan has another replica under the name Shuanghuan Noble and Bubble in its range. Both models are produced and offered in Europe by the Italian company Martin Motors under its own brand name.

    literature

    Individual evidence

    1. ↑ Hartmut Seeger, Vom Königsschiff zum Basic Car, Tübingen 2007 p. 213ff.
    2. ^ Archive of the University of Kassel, FB 24, born in 1988
    3. ↑ a b c d brand eins online: So Smart ( Memento from March 7, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), accessed January 22, 2013.
    4. ↑ Triumph of a tinkerer , article on the Hotzenblitz with mention of two design studies by Hayek, Der Spiegel 13/1994
    5. ↑ Knirps with lithium-ion battery. In: Der Spiegel , June 12, 2008.
    6. ↑ Brief information on the smartfortwo micro hybrid drive ( Memento from October 9, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
    7. ↑ Bernhard Santer: Sparzwerg under a false name In: Focus , July 12, 2007, accessed August 19, 2015.
    8. ↑ Margret Hucko: A new opportunity for the smart . In: ftd.de from April 7, 2010 ( Memento from April 10, 2010 in the Internet Archive ).
    9. ↑ 2014 comes the smart Twingo. In: Auto Bild , November 14, 2013.
    10. ↑ Smart USA plans to introduce a five-door model
    11. ↑ Daimler cracks down on smart in the USA ( Memento from February 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive ).
    12. ↑ Daimler establishes joint venture: The Smart will soon be coming from China , tagesschau.de, March 28, 2019
    13. ↑ kba.de Press Release No. 01/2015 - Vehicle registrations in December 2014 - Annual balance sheet. Retrieved April 22, 2019 . , accessed April 29, 2015
    14. ↑ kba.de New registrations of passenger cars in December 2013 by brand and model series (Part 2). Retrieved April 22, 2019 .
    15. ↑ Ailing problem child ( Memento from February 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive ).
    16. ↑ HSN list at AutoAmpel.de.
    17. ↑ smart: smart: open your mind.Retrieved on March 10, 2017 .
    18. ↑ a b Andreas Wilkens: Electric cars: The Smart Forfour is also going electric. In: heise online . February 22, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017 .
    19. ↑ The smart, the previously knows when who goes where wants ... . In: Berliner Zeitung , 2./3. September 2017, p. B14.
    20. ↑ The Apple iCar from Mercedes , presentation of the Studio smart vision EQ fortwo , at www.autobild.de, accessed on September 24, 2017.
    21. ↑ Urban lifestyle of the future at www.mercedes-benz.com, accessed on September 24, 2017.
    22. ↑ Smart GmbH (Ed.): Operating Instructions Smart Roadster and Smart Roadster-Coupé . 2003, 11 Technical data, p. 4th ff .
    23. ↑ Ad-hoc announcement “New business model for smart” ( Memento from September 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 33 kB). Daimler AG website, April 1, 2005, accessed April 30, 2012.
    24. ↑ End of production for the Smart Roadster ( Memento from June 20, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), Auto-Motor-und-Sport.de, November 7, 2005, accessed on April 30, 2012.
    25. ↑ Smart Fourjoy at the IAA - Smart four-seater ahead , Auto Motor und Sport, September 5, 2013.
    26. ↑ smart: smart: open your mind.Retrieved on March 10, 2017 .
    27. ↑ DaimlerChrysler cracks down on Smart , Wirtschaftswoche
    28. ^ Website of the supplier Ecofly.
    29. ↑ Deutsche Umwelthilfe warns Daimler Chrysler for misleading advertising for Diesel-Smart , duh.de
    30. ↑ AutoBild of October 13, 2006 and Süddeutsche Zeitung of October 13, 2006, page 26.

    Web links

    Commons : smart  album with pictures, videos and audio files