The smart forfour Arrives at smart Centres

Press Release

TV spot with Robbie Williams and advertising campaign accompany the launch of the new four-seater from smart

• From April 24 customers will be able to subject the smart forfour to close scrutiny at their local dealer
• First four-seater car from smart offering a unique combination of emotional appeal and functionality
• TV spot with the entertainer Robbie Williams shown throughout Europe
• Market launch campaign in European print media

The waiting will soon be over: the new smart forfour will arrive at smart centres on 24 April giving customers and interested members of the public an opportunity to appraise and test drive it. Furthermore, the first models of the first four-seater from smart will be delivered to their new owners. For the market launch the smart forfour will initially be available with two petrol engines with capacity of 1.3 and 1.5 litres respectively, four cylinders and a power output of 70 kW (95 bhp) and 90 kW (109 bhp). From June these will be joined by a three-cylinder 1.1 litre petrol engine with 55 kW (75 bhp). In August the two diesel variants of the smart forfour will then follow. The three-cylinder 1.5-litre engines have a power output of 50 kW (68 bhp) or 70 kW (95 bhp). In addition to this - in the best tradition of the company - from June smart will be offering a "welcome edition" - the smart forfour blackbasic. In Germany this edition will go on sale at a price of € 11,700 incl. VAT. Despite its attractive price, this edition which is limited to 3,000 cars will include all of the smart forfour's safety features such as esp, abs and four disk brakes as standard - a unique set-up in the small car segment.

Wide advertising campaign to accompany the market launch

The company is starting a wide advertising campaign in the run-up to the launch of the smart forfour. As well as the advertisements with different motifs that will be placed in various European newspapers and magazines from 16 April, a TV version of the forfour advertising spot with the British entertainer Robbie Williams will be shown on all major TV stations. A longer version of this spot was created to mark smart's sponsorship of Robbie Williams' European Summer Tour 2003 and it went down so well when it was shown at concerts and later in cinemas that the successful image film will now also be shown on television in twelve European countries. The spot - which has just been awarded the Art Directors Club ADC silver prize - will be shown for the first time on several channels on 17 April. "The print motifs for the smart forfour launch campaign have the slogan 'Your life is exciting. Shouldn't your car be exciting too?' After all, our new four-seater offers a combination of functionality and emotional appeal that is unique in this segment", says Philipp Schiemer, Vice President Marketing and Sales at smart. "As well as the extremely successful commercial with Robbie Williams, our unusual and effective advertisements take up this exciting combination." The print advertisements show four identical people with the smart forfour but (with a wink) with four different personality facets assigned to them, for example: single, vinyl freak, web designer and nature lover. "This shows that smart forfour drivers have exciting and varied lives - accompanied by a car that is just as exciting and versatile as they themselves are", says Philipp Schiemer explaining the idea behind the campaign. The print campaign was created by Springer&Jacoby, Hamburg (Germany). smart forfour:
With the new smart forfour, the first four-seater car from smart is being launched on the market. The sporty five-door model is a car with a concept and design that clearly sets it apart from other vehicles. The forfour stirs emotions and conveys a sense of joie de vivre. However, above all, it is the first model in the small car segment to offer high-end technology to customers who are looking for a premium product. The affiliation with DaimlerChrysler and the Mercedes Car Group is particularly apparent in the range of audio, navigation and telecommunication technology, the numerous comfort and safety functions and the inclusion of the electronic stability programme (esp) as standard. All smart forfour models not only come with esp as standard, but are also equipped with four disk brakes. With a choice of powerful engine versions and the exceptionally agile set-up of its active drive chassis, the smart forfour meets all the expectations of those looking for a great driving experience. Weighing in at less than 1,000 kilograms, the smart forfour offers a power/weight ratio of up to 12.2 kilograms per kilowatt (9 kg per bhp), which is comparable with the attractive ratio of the smart roadster and roadster-coupé.