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