Smart For-Us Concept Debuts at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show

Even though it's not exactly a surprise debut since it was teased more than a month ago, the Smart For-Us concept that will made world premiere at the 2012 NAIAS today raised more than a few eyebrows.

You see, the company that has so far based its existence on the two-seater, ultra-compact ForTwo city car claims that it “loves pickups”! And yes you read correctly: that’s exactly what Smart CEO Anette Winkler said:

"We at smart love pick-ups – if they are small on the outside, large on the inside, very safe and extremely comfortable. With the smart for-us a petrol station is no longer required!”

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Rinspeed Shows “Dock+Go” EV Extending Range Add-On Concept Ahead of the Geneva Salon

Rinspeed is a Swiss-based automobile manufacturer and tuning designer with a very vivid imagination. Although it produces “normal” tuning products like the 600HP Porsche 911 Turbo, it is projects like the James Bond-like submersible Lotus Elise or the BamBoo EV study that are its hallmark.

Now, the innovative design house is planning to launch a new “mobility concept” at the 2012 Geneva Salon next March. The “Dock+Go” is the brainchild of Frank M. Rinderknecht, who describes it as a docking “backpack on wheels”.

The idea behind its creation was born out of most electric vehicles’ problem: their restricted range. Although any EV can serve as a basis, Rinspeed chose the electric Smart ForTwo for displaying its solution.

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Smart to Debut For-Us Small Pickup Concept at the Detroit Motor Show

One company that you would never think would consider building a pickup truck is Smart. Yet the Mercedes-Benz-owned maker of the ForTwo city car plans to present a small pickup truck-like concept named the For-Us at the coming North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

“We at Smart love pickups – if they are small on the outside, large on the inside, very safe and extremely comfortable," said Smart CEO, Annete Winkler. "With the Smart For-Us a petrol station is no longer required!”

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Smart's Forvision Conceptualizes the Next-Generation of the Fortwo

Daimler's Smart unit will be represented at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September by a new concept study named Forvision that does two things for the brand: it previews the new design direction for the Fortwo and it hints at the technology being readied for the firm's future models.

The Forvision is Smart's second concept model after the sportier, roofless Forspeed that debuted in Geneva this past March to feature the brand's new styling language that brings the original Fortwo's design into the 21st century.

Smart worked together with BASF, the world's largest chemical company, for the development of several advanced technologies used on the Forvision.

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New Smart ForSpeed Concept Hints at a New Look for Next ForTwo and ForFour

At next week's Geneva Motor Show, Smart will reveal a new concept model called the ForSpeed that signals a new design direction and hints at future products from Daimler's small car brand. The ForSpeed is a zero-emissions roadster model with a unique look that is powered by an electric motor.

In a similar fashion to Smart's 2001 Crossblade that was produced in a limited run of 2,000 units, the ForSpeed has no roof or side windows and it features a low wind deflector instead of a windscreen. However, unlike the Crossblade, the ForSpeed does get a pair of doors as well a fabric tonneau cover for weather protection.

While Smart has no immediate plans to produce the ForSpeed, key styling elements such as the headlamp and tail lamp designs with the outer rings illuminated by a LEDs as well as the more prominent front grille, will be carried over to future products including the next ForTwo series and the new five-door ForFour as the company plans to create a more distinct look for its cars to better compete with the Fiat 500 and the Mini.

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Smart Roadster Concept Heading to 2011 Geneva Motor Show

Remember the patent designs of a topless, two-seat Smart model that we first showed you back in December, 2010? Well, according to Carscoop sources, the drawings are of a concept speedster model that will make its world premiere at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show on March 1.

We also learned the concept is powered by a rear-mounted electric motor driving the rear wheels, and that while Smart's parent company Mercedes-Benz has no plans to create a production version of the speedster-like model, key styling cues such as the headlamp and grille designs will pass on to the next generation Smart cars like the new Fortwo and the upcoming 5-door variant.

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Mercedes-Benz Patents Designs of Smart Roadster Model

Back in 2001 at the Geneva Motor Show, Smart introduced a quirky roadster concept with no doors, no roof and no windscreen called the Crossblade. The Fortwo Cabrio-based concept eventually went into a limited series production the following year with Smart offering a total of 2,000 cars.

Fast-forward to today, and Smart appears to be readying a spiritual successor to the Crossblade as the firm's parent company Mercedes-Benz has trademarked these designs drawings of a two-seater roadster model.

Unlike the original Crossblade, which came without doors featuring instead steel safety bars at passenger shoulder height that swing upwards with the help of a gas-operated struts, the roadster model seen in these pictures gets a conventional set of doors. It also features a larger wind deflector surrounding the driver and passenger as well as Smart's trademark Tridion Safety Cell - albeit redesigned to look like separate safety bars.

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2010 LA Design Challenge ends with a Tie: Cadillac and Smart Declared Winners

This year's Los Angeles Design Challenge ended with a tie, as judges, after much deliberation, declared two winners: the Cadillac Aera and smart 454 WWT. The challenge was to envision a four passenger car tipping the scales under 1,000 lbs (454 kg).

"Deciding this year's Design Challenge winner was a tremendously difficult decision as the quality of entries has increased throughout the years", agreed the Design Los Angeles judges. "This year's winners - the Cadillac Aera and the smart 454 WWT - offer two very different visions of the 1,000 lb. Car, yet are equally as amazing. They are both very expressive of their brand; GM is art and science and smart is playful and fun".

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LA Auto Show Design Contest Part 2: Mercedes, Nissan, Smart, Toyota and Volvo Concepts

Here's our second part on the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show's "Design Challenge" with futuristic-looking lightweight concept models from Mercedes, Nissan, Smart, Toyota and Volvo. For the first group of concept studies, click here to check out our previous post.

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Smart Teases New Four-Door Model for USA, and yes, it's a Nissan Micra in Disguise...

In what could be seen as a rather desperate move to keep the troubled Smart brand alive and kicking in the United States, parent company Mercedes-Benz has announced that it has teamed up with Nissan to launch a Toyota Yaris-sized five-door hatchback on the market in the fourth quarter of 2011.

"The new vehicle will expand smart USA's product lineup, offering five-seat capacity while maintaining the core principles of efficiency and conservation," said Smart USA President Jill Lajdziak.

The company said the B-segment car is to be sold solely in the United States and will be based on vehicle architecture from Nissan, without getting into any more details. However, the maker of the tiny Fortwo released two teaser sketches of the car, clearly depicting Nissan's latest Micra supermini with a Smart-like fascia, headlights, tail lamps and detailing.

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The Smallest Smart Ever: Electric 'escooter' Uncovered before Paris Show

Previewing a possible expansion to the world of two wheels in the very near future, Daimler's Smart division will showcase a scooter concept at next week's Paris motor show. Seen here for the first time in the flesh, the purely electrically driven 'escooter' uses a 48-volt lithium-ion battery pack placed behind the paneling in the foot area and is capable of traveling up to 100 kilometers (over 60 miles) on a single charge.

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Smart to Debut Plug-in Electric Scooter Concept at the Paris Show

Last we checked, Daimler's Smart unit was only in the business of making tiny city cars (well, aside from the short-lived Fourfour), but that may soon change as the company which was founded by the late Nicolas Hayek of Swatch fame is looking into the possibility of adding an electric scooter to its lineup to broaden its reach and increase sales.

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Smart forfun2 Monster Truck with a 5,8 litre diesel engine!

"Little monster town" just got a new resident in the form of the Smart forfun2: definitely, one of the most impressive Smarts you'll ever set eyes on -as long as you don't try to stare down...but up. Actually, this is Smart's second attempt at creating a monster truck, or to be more precise, it's the creation of Mercedes-Benz Hellas (Greece) and Stefan Attart (46 year old Greek Champion in 4x4 Rally Races).

Stefan had presented the first Smart monster truck, the forfour-based forfun at the Athens International Motor Show in November 2005. But while the forfun was made by the Greek division of Mercedes-Benz and Stefan Attart who fitted a forfour body on the platform of the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (rally version), this time, Mercedes-Benz central, gave a helping hand to the Greeks.

Once the platform for the smart forfun2 had been decided, in January of this year Stefan Attart started working on the first designs. The engine and transmission were adopted from the Unimog. The OM 352, a six-cylinder diesel engine with a capacity of 5,675 cc, delivers 84 Hp, which more than enough for this little monster. The dimensions also turn heads: tyres on 26 inch rims with a diameter of 140 cm. Not to mention ground clearance of 650mm and a total height of 3.7 metres !