The lease for 36 months of $99 a month still requires a down of $999 just like the previous deals.

Mercedes-Benz, which is the parent company of Smart, is doing its best to give the brand a better profile in the market since they took control of the distributions held before by Penske Automotive. Lowering the lease is one way among many to try and give the brand a boost.

Smart launched two television campaigns last fall on cable and big national networks. The company also revamped its website and try to interact with their market thru social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

The Penske Group which previously distributed Smart in the US had 75 dealers over the span of three years. Mercedes-Benz only retained only 54 of these dealers who also carries a Mercedes franchise. Thirty three new dealers were added to bring the network up to 87 dealers. They are still planning to six dealerships to the sales force.

The Smart dealers have devoted a space in their showroom for Mercedes to promote Smart vehicles. The dealers who opted for Smart stores may shift to being a Mercedes store and keeping a Smart Corner or they can keep the Smart dealership and they will paid an extra margin to keep it exclusive for the Smart brand.

The sales of Smart dropped by 12% or about 5,208 units. The brand though is expecting to get some boost once the next generation of electric vehicles roll out this coming fall. The Smart ForTwo has an engine supplied by Tesla. For the new vehicle, Mercedes Benz will be providing the powerplant.

The new Smart EV will have an improved range of 100 miles compared to the older sibling which can only go as far as 63 miles. The top speed will also improve a bit to around 75 miles per hour from 60 mph.

The two-seater vehicle of Smart and the new Twingo of Renault will be sharing a common platform.

The Smart ForTwo will have a replacement by 2014 which will be a result of a collaboration with Renault.

By next year, the ForTwo Electric will be equipped with a lithium ion battery pack sourced from Deutsche Accumotive GmbH which is a Daimlik-Evonik Industries joint venture. The ForTwo Electric will also get a revamped interior.

Smart is expected to roll out a 4-seater by 2015 using the platform that will be implemented on the new ForTwo.

Meanwhile, France based Europcar and Daimler Car2go will be tapping Smart ForTwo vehicles for their car sharing program. Lyon will be joining the car program using twenty Smart commuter cars. Daimler will be designating a 44 square kilometer area where travelers can rent the Smart ForTwo units.

The Lyon Car2Go car sharing program will let members drive the Smart vehicles without requiring them commit to a specific return time and location. The members of the car sharing program will only have to pay depending on the amount of time the car was used. The rentals can be as short as a minute.

The Car2Go program has around 45,000 members sharing around 1,100 vehicles in Canada, the Unite States, and Germany. The on-demand car rental service has been making big strides in cities like Hamburg, Uln, Austin, and Vancouver. Daimler is also getting an extra set of Smart ForTwo for the trial run of Car2Go in San Diego and Amsterdam.

The ForSpeed Concept that was debuted at the Geneva Motor Show last March became an inspiration Smart’s new microcar. Some experts say that the new design resembles a white ladybug however, the sleeker design and shadowline trim look promising.

However, the Smart buzz isn’t just about the replacement for the Smart Roadster. According to an inside scoop, 4×4 model that will directly compete with the MINI Countryman will also be unveiled. Now, if the rumors are true, then the 4×4 model will probably by based on the design platform of the Mercedes-Benz’s new B-Class and would be Smart’s largest model to date.

There’s also rumor that Smart might work with Renault-Nissan soon. If the rumors are true and the partnership prevails, then the succeeding models of the ForTwo and the Roadster might carry the Renault Twingo platform. Given that, it might pose some conflicts if the 4×4 will directly compete with MINI Countryman. Nothing’s official yet so we just have to wait to see how things will progress for the Smar 4×4 model and the new Smart Roadster replacement.

The mechanicals of this Smart ForTwo are by Brabus but the interiors speaks of Boxfresh all over even on the center gauge. This Smart Fortwo by Boxfresh though is not for sale but is a preview of what we may see as Boxfresh and Smart collaborates to produce something exciting this year.

As you can see in the pictures, the interior deserves the adjective immaculate. The attention to the smallest details went into man hours for sure.

We might not want to ask now how much this setup costs anyway this is still a one off dry run and we will definitely hear from Smart and design company Boxfresh what they will have before the end of 2011 for those who want a stylish econoride.

Most likely the Smart Fortwo by Boxfresh will not make it to the United States and folks over there will have to settle for the Mini Inspired by Goodwod.

During the Essen Motor Show, Lorinser rolled out the Smart Fortwo car fitted with the Easybrid conversion. The Easybrid is not exclusively designed to be coupled with the Fortwo but practically to small vehicles with rear drum brakes.

The Easybrid setip consists of a regenerative braking technology, a 30kilowatt electric motor, and lithium ion battery pack. The battery pack is conveniently stored under the car or in the space for the spare tire. The Easybrid practically converts a gasoline or diesel engine car into plug-in hybrid vehicle.

Lorinser estimates the Easybrid to propel the car all electric for around 30 kilometers. The driver though can opt to go all electric, on fuel, or combined. The Smart Fortwo is just the first vehicle to be fitted with the Easybrid but in the future cars like the Fiat 500, Renault Twingo, and VW Polo may offer it as an option.

The company is also looking into a scheme where end users can lease their batteries from energy suppliers through a mobile phone platform. This setup will give way to cheaper conversion costs seen at around 5,000 euros. They are also hoping for government incentives to chop the prices more.

The testing of the system will be through middle of next year with the roll out for market consumption after.

The new city car is expected to rival the Smart Fortwo and will complement the direction set by the Megacity project of their parent company BMW. The city car will make use of modular components and technology used by BMW for their vehicles to lower down cost of production and give them a bigger chance to gain higher profits.

Mini has been known to argue that any smaller than their 3-door popular creation will not be profitable. It seems that the car manufacturer has found an answer to their concern with BMW set to develop a 3-cylinder engine and investors committed to pour in money for new techniques of production.

Insiders are saying that it is very early to tell if the project will materialize but they confirmed that there is strong momentum to accomplish the project’s goals of producing a city car that is ultra-frugal.

Mini is not really giving a lot of details about the car, if it is a four or two-seater or if the engine will be in front or rear. They hinted though that it will not be going beyond 3050 mm which is the original Mini engineered by Issigonis.

Some automotive companies, governments, and Lotus engineering came up with solutions to address the silent engine of the EVs. It is not clear if Brabus uses one of these technologies but clever enough, Brabus makes the EV engines sound like real engine. Car owners can even choose if they want the sound of a small, fuel efficient car or a roar of a muscle tuned car.

The sound of the engine will be generated by a loud speaker placed on the front end of the chassis. The speaker is switched on once the driver steps on the pedal of the EV.

The Smart For Two ED cruises to a top speed of 60 mph and can cover about 70 miles on a single charge. The car takes about 6.5 seconds to be on a 30mph rush. The lithium-ion pack charges fully after eight hours of being plugged.

In cases when the EV must really cruise silently along the road, drivers will have an option to turn the sound off with a flick of a switch on the Brabus. So far, the idea is still just an idea but it may soon hit the production version once the Smart for Two ED hits the retail market by the end of 2009 or by the early part of 2010.

Central Parking System, Inc. is the biggest parking company in the locations of Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan and New Jersey. They had more than 350 parking garages and lots in the mentioned areas and all are giving discounts on parking for the customers owning Smart Fortwo. For the detailed and complete lists of the exact locations of parking in the said areas, you may visit www.centralparking.com.

Dave Schembri, President of Smart USA, said that with this collaboration, they are aiming to give New Yorkers to have the best of their driving experience with the facilitated parking that can be done anywhere in New York, while they attain fuel efficiency, sense of functionality and secured travel.

Smart Fortwo is measured 61 inches wide and 106 inches in length. This feature is a guarantee that parking in various areas in New York is not troublesome. In addition to that, this vehicle is making a talk to car aficionados who are concerned with unstable gas prices, and some environmental issues, particularly, air pollution.

The network of Smart dealers had already sold Smart Fotwos since January 16, 2008, with more than 27,000 vehicles purchased. Aside from that, presently, there are estimatedly 4,000 owners of smart in New York.

The achievement came earlier than expected since the company is still very young. Smart is just 10 months old in the United States.

Company officials are expecting a further increase in sales by next year despite the dropping gas prices. They believe that there is more to fuel consumption why people purchase their cars. Owning a Smart ForTwo is a lifestyle change according to them.

The Smart ForTwo car is less than 9 feet in length and is the smallest car in the US market today. They are sold in coupe or convertible versions both sporting two-door models. The engine under the hood is a 1.0L 3 cylinder engine coupled with a 5-speed automated manual transmission. The top speed of the car is up to 90 mph.

The makers of the car belong to the Mercedes Car Group which markets the car in Smart Dealerships and Mercedes-Benz Sales Center in the United States. The Smart ForTwo car has been in the Europe automotive scene since 1998.

The Smart ForTwo is specifically designed for driving from point A to point B in the city. It is very easy to maneuver in the traffic and provides no hassle when parking in cramped spaces.

The fuel rating of the Smart ForTwo is 33 mpg on city driving and around 40 mpg driving on normal highway conditions.

Source: http://www.joe-ks.com/archives_sep2008/SmartCarRedesign.htm