smart is coming

Press Release

On the market since October 1998

The smart brand has long since turned into a craze

smart fortwo: This is where the smart story started in 1998 with the ultra-compact 8 feet long city-coupé. The smart roadster and roadster-coupé followed in 2003 - lively, two-seater sports cars with engine output of up to 99 hp @ 5250 rpm, a top speed of 118 mph and a length of 11.24 feet.

The four-seater smart was launched in 2004 - the smart forfour, delivering up to 107 hp @ 3000 rpm, with a top speed of up to 118 mph and a length of 12.31 feet. smart is the youngest and one of the fastest growing car makes in Europe – and much more than the manufacturer of an 8.24 feet parking space wonder. Smart vehicles are not just growing in terms of inches - the sales figures are also showing fast growth: More than 700,000 vehicles have been produced to date.

The smart fortwo has become the “it� vehicle in Paris, London, Barcelona, Rome and many other European cities. This car is more than just a simple means of transport; it is an expression of innovation, joie de vivre, intelligence and high functionality. A wide range of smart personal accessories is also available - from jackets, shirts and further items of clothing, to bags, tableware and remote-controlled smart models. These accessories are “must-haves� for many smart drivers.

However smart is not totally unknown in the USA: The first smart fortwos have already been seen in public – as vehicles leading the New York City Marathon and the Boston Marathon as automotive sponsor. And a smart fortwo was included in an exhibit in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) – as one of only five cars to attain this distinction (alongside the Ford Model T, Jaguar E-Type, Willy’s Jeep and the VW Beetle) - and as the only car still in production and on sale today. The fortwo is still part of the permanent collection of the MoMA.

smart is one of the world’s youngest car makes. Preparations started at the beginning of the 1990s with a feasibility study for a small car at Mercedes-Benz.

On the basis of this, in April 1994, the Micro Compact Car AG was founded in Biel (CH). Nicolas Hayek, the inventor of the Swatch watch brought his idea for an ultra-short small car into this company, and Mercedes-Benz contributed expertise and experience from more than a hundred years of building cars. The development of the smart fortwo started the same year, and in September 1997 it celebrated its premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) where it received a resounding response: More lines were printed and more TV minutes broadcasted about the smart than any other car presented at the Show.

Production started in July 1998, and in October sales started in nine European countries (Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Holland, Austria, Switzerland and Spain). In 1998, Micro Compact Car AG in Biel became a 100% subsidiary of what was then Daimler-Benz AG (today DaimlerChrysler AG).

The small car subsidiary subsequently became Micro Compact Car smart GmbH, and the firm’s current name smart GmbH has applied since 2002. In 1998, 20,000 smart fortwos were produced; by 1999 this figure had increased to 80,000 cars.

At the end of 1999, smart launched the smart cdi featuring the world’s smallest production diesel engine with three cylinders and 40 hp @5250 rpm. The smart cabrio was added to the product range in the spring of 2000, and a version with a cdi engine became available in 2001. Sales subsequently started in further countries, and in 2000 more than 100,000 vehicles were produced.

The pace quickened from then on. In 2001, the completely open smart crossblade was presented as a show car at the Geneva Motor Show. It went on sale in May 2002 as a special limited edition of which just 2000 models were produced. A joint venture with BRABUS GmbH was established the same year to produce a top trim version of the production cars – similar to the cooperation between Mercedes-Benz and AMG.

In August 2002 the product range was further extended: The smart roadster and the smart roadster-coupé that was exhibited as show cars at the IAA in 1999 and in Paris in 2000 were presented to the international media for the first time. These open two-seater roadsters offering sheer driving pleasure went on sale in April 2003. From this point onwards, the brand and the products ceased to be identical. smart became a full line manufacturer with several model ranges.

The technical basis for the roadster and roadster-coupé was adopted from the smart fortwo. From July 2002, the turbo-charged rear-mounted engine with increased capacity for the sports versions also became available for the smart fortwo with unchanged performance. From May 2003, a BRABUS version of the smart fortwo became available, and from March 2004 the BRABUS version of the smart roadster and roadster-coupé.

2003 saw a further decisive step towards diversification of the product portfolio. In July, the smart forfour was presented to the international media. The market launch followed in April 2004, initially with three gas engine versions. Two diesel engines were added in September, and in November the most powerful gas engine version to date was launched. The launch of the smart forfour also saw the introduction of a new naming strategy at smart: The name of the “original smart� was changed to “smart fortwo� and, in line with this, the four-seater smart was christened “smart forfour�.

smart vehicles are now sold in 36 countries around the world as both left- and right-hand drive models. Sales and turnover are constantly increasing. All smart models embody the same brand values and have the same “DNA�: Innovation, functionality and joie de vivre. They appeal to people who are sporty, independent and young at heart; people who love clever solutions and are open to new ideas. The smart brand slogan “open your mind.� is an expression of their way of life.