Smart Cars

Smart Car History

The smart car (Swatch Mercedes Art) is the brainchild of Nicolas Hayek, perhaps better known as CEO of Swatch, the Swatch watch company. Hayek’s dream was the Swatchmoblie, which would do for the small car what he had done for the watch, producing a car that would be fun, cheap and simple yet environ-mentally sound, with electric and hybrid power.

Hayek initially teamed with Volkswagen in 1991, but the project was cancelled with adverse market research and a change of management at VW. Mercedes then stepped in as a partner and Micro Compact Car (MCC) was formed in 1994 as a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and SMH (the maker of Swatch watches). In 1998, Swatch pulled out and MCC became a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler-Benz, now DaimlerChrysler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz.

The Smart Car launched in October 1998 is a 2-seater, 2.5m long by 1.5m wide – small enough that two or even three cars can squeeze into a standard parking space. The incorporation of the hybrid SwatchMobil system had proved problematic, so the car debuted with a conventional engine. It was also not as inexpensive as originally conceived, priced on a part with small 4-seaters.

Initial reception was lukewarm, and sales were well down on prediction (20,000 were sold in 1998 in contrast to the 200,000 predicted by Hayek) but it was a great success in traffic-strangled cities like Paris and Rome, and sales reached 80,000 the following year. The project, constantly at risk, has been expensive, with breakeven forecast for 2004. Nonetheless, it has achieved iconic status, with and exhibit at MoMA.

The Smart Car is built at a factory complex called Smartville, located at Hamback in Lorraine, France. Completed in October 1997, it is one of the most modern plants in the world. The car is designed to be highly modular, with modules/parts attached to a rigid integral “tridion” body frame. Smart Cars in Europe

ZAP (Zero Air Pollution), a niche motor vehicle company in California, is bringing the Smart Car to the United States. ZAP claims to have pulled in over $750 million in pre-orders for the FourTwo Smart Car. Sales are contingent upon ZAP being able to set up a shipping and sales network to support that kind of demand. If all goes well, Americans will soon start seeing these two-seat cars zipping around their streets and highways.

Smart Car: it’s a mini revolution in Europe

Europe has the answer. The Smart Car is easy to drive (especially for women), easy to park and at a cost the masses can afford (with a little help from the car finance companies). This car is a diminutive two seater, and is a fashion icon in Europe.The Smart car is a familiar sight in Europe as it squeezes through traffic to find parking spaces too small for anyone else.

Aside from looks and size, European customers are drawn to the Smart car for its reduced environmental impact. Not only is the car almost entirely recyclable, but it meets the EU’s most stringent gas emission standards, known as Euro 4. Its fuel consumption is also low, even by economy-car criteria. It has electronic power management that prevents the engine from emitting pollutants and it has an economy transmission mode to save fuel.

The Smart Car is assembled in modules which make design changes easier. For example, new power sources like electric fuel cells could be fitted. It also guarantees that the car, and its parts, can be dismantled and recycled economically at the end of its useful life. Originally fitted for electric hybrid drive, it currently runs on unleaded gas or diesel.

The Smart Car is manufactured at the Smartville Energy Centre at Hambach in France. A completely new factory was designed with the quality of the environment in mind and the whole place is energy efficient. The factory was built on 30 hectares on industrial waste land and now includes a nature reserve with rare plant species and landscaping for hundreds of trees. Building a car factory from scratch helps to make a green agenda possible but ecological conservation is still a complex process.

Smart Car comes to Canada

The for two Smart Car could be a big part of the urban transportation solution in Canada. Mercedes-Benz made the biggest splash at the 2004 CIAS by announcing that it would offer the ‘smart fortwo’ coupe and cabriolet as 2005 models in Canada, starting this coming fall.

The marketing plan for the “smart fortwo”coupe and Cabriolet was unveiled at Toronto’s Canadian International Auto Show on February 2006. The final approvals from Transport Canada and the business decision to make it happen were made literally minutes before the opening of the show.

A display stand was cobbled up on the eve of press day, and four Smart cars graced the Mercedes booth. It was by far the most popular display in the entire show.

Smart car statistics:

The average body count for people driving cars in a modern North American city rush hour is 1.4 people. The Smart fortwo car seats two. It uses just 3.5 litres of either diesel or unleaded fuel, and gets 80 miles per Imperial gallon. The car that’s so darn cute doesn’t feel small inside…there’s sufficient head- and legroom with less width. The comfortable seats let you sit higher than in a conventional car, and the right front seat folds flat forward for additional cargo capacity. The cabriolet model’s roof has power sunroof mode and can then be flipped back completely by hand.

“But is it safe”, you ask? The Smart Car is built around the TRIDION safety cell and features integral safety seats which protect the occupants in the event of a collision. If the Smart is hit from behind, the Tridion lateral and traverse strut, the engine, and the integral seat will absorb the energy of the impact and dissipate it in a controlled form. In a frontal collision, effective crumple zone, airbag and seatbelt will provide protection. The steering column telescopes if necessary, leaving more internal “braking distance” for the drive. If the car is involved in a side-on collision the lateral strut, bent upwards at the back, and the short wheelbase protect the passenger area, because at least one axle assists in dissipating energy.

Another feature normally only found in expensive top of the range vehicles is standard in the Smart – electronic traction and stability control. Smart cars are all equipped with TRUST, a safety system that is always on the lookout for critical situations. If the car hits a patch of slippery road or you have to swerve to avoid an unexpected obstacle, TRUST immediately cuts off the fuel supply (to reduce torque to the drive wheels) and engages or disengages the clutch accordingly. Within physical limits, the Smart remains on track and you stay on the road.

How much does it cost? A 730 kg car, 2.5 metres long, and uses only 3.5 litres per 100 km. Generally it sells for $16,000 for the coupe, and under $20,000 for the cabriolet. The car can pay for itself within three years or so, with the money you save just driving to the commuter train.

With the Smart fortwo “Chic” year-round appeal, it will not only provide new owners with affordability and small size parking capabilities, but in the real-world fuel economy it will contribute less pollution and consumption with a proven fuel efficiency . Canadians are in the forefront of creating an awareness that helps their pocket book and the environment.

Introduction to Smart Cars in the U.S.

http://www.zapworld.com/cars/dealerlocator.asp

How to find a ZAP Smart Car dealers in U.S.

ZAP! Automotive Dealer Locator
Thank you for your interest locating a ZAP! Automotive Dealer in your area. Below is a listing of dealers by U.S. state in your area.

Arizona
	3D Auto Wholesalers, Inc. 3010 East Main St. Mesa, AZ 85213 Tel: (602) 318-4211 Fax: (480) 821-7766

Colorado
	Elizabeth RV and Automotive Center Inc Contact: S.T. (Satyendra) Tripathi 5475 Highway 86 Unit 1 and 2 Elizabeth, CO 80107 Tel: (303)646-8810 Website: www.elizabethrvauto.com

Florida
	ZAP of Palm Beach/ Foreign Affairs Auto 1681 North Military Trail West Palm Beach, FL 33409 Tel: (561) 478-9999 Main Fax: (561) 689-7000 Website: www.foreignaffairsauto.com

Nevada
	Rajun Cajun Used Cars & ZAP! of Reno 2615 Wrondel Way Reno, NV 89502 Tel: (775) 828-5121 Fax: (775) 828-5322 Website: www.rajuncajunusedcars.com

	Sprads RV and Auto Center Contact: Keith Spradling 10000 South Virginia Reno, NV 89511 Tel: (775)741-4652 Fax: (775)852-0770 Website: www.spradsrv.com

New Hampshire
	McFarland Ford Sales, Inc. Contact: Sue McFarland 151 Portsmouth Ave Exeter, NH 03833 Tel: (603)772-5953 Fax: (603)772-1144 Website: www.mcfarlandford.com

Pennsylvania
	Ferrante Motor Cars Contact: Anthony Ferrante 601 Jackson Avenue Vandergrift, PA 15690 Tel: (724) 567-5675 Toll-Free: (800) 715-5675 Fax: (724) 567-5531 Website: www.ferrantemotorcars.com

Washington
	Green Car Company, LLC 11630 Slater Avenue NE #3 Kirkland, WA 98034 Tel: (425) 820-4549 Fax: (425) 825-1255 Website: www.greencarco.com

	enviroSMART Motor Group, Inc. Contact: Alex Spearman 3323 20th St. East Fife, WA 98424 Tel: (206) 310-9004

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· The Opposing Side of Smart Car...

"Little does one expect the changes that will occur due to rising oil prices, and what Americans are willing to do to save energy and dollars. Think again Jerry Flint. If it's not the Smart Car, it will be energy efficient automobiles. "

Forbes.com

Backseat Driver
Cute, Yes. Smart, No!
Jerry Flint, 08.29.06, 6:00 AM ET

The worst traffic, the tightest parking that I have ever seen is in Paris. Compared to Paris, New York City is heaven, but I saw no road rage over there. Taxies actually stopped to let pedestrians cross the street. I didn't see obscene hand gestures or hear much honking. I suppose the French have not invented words for road rage yet, and they do not do anything they can't pronounce.

But what I did see were Smart cars, lots of them. Now they call the little two-seater the "smart" with no capital S. I will call it "Smart" in this article, to avoid confusion. These tiny cars were easy to navigate through the narrowest streets and squeeze into parking spaces fit for a kiddy bike. People tell me there are even more of these cars in Rome. Paris and Rome are Smart cities. In fact, DaimlerChrysler has sold more than 750,000 Smarts worldwide since its introduction in October 1998. Even the car's full name is cute: the Smart Fortwo.

But make no mistake. Smart is an automobile disaster. The Ford Motor Edsel of the late 1950s was a home run compared to the Smart. Several years ago, one of the highest-ranking Daimler executives told me that Smart losses had reached $3 billion. That was years ago, and they have just taken another $1 billion write-off. So I estimate that at this point the Smart project has cost DaimlerChrysler more than $5 billion.

Why? Because it was a dumb idea to begin with. You might recall the concept came from the Swatch watch people. A cute, little car with side panels that you could change to match your dress. Are you kidding? "Honey, do something for me. I am wearing red to Le Wal-Mart. Could you go out and change the body panels on the car to the black ones, s'il vous plaît?"

Daimler's board accepted the idea without doing an extensive study. What came out is an underpowered two-seat car. Smart also built a new factory, with capacity to build 220,000 units per year, surrounded by a supplier park with new factories. I figure the annual breakeven was 200,000 vehicles.

No two-seater in the world had sold anywhere near 200,000 units per year. Usually two seaters are sleek, romantic roadsters, and fast, too. That is not Smart. Since its introduction, Smart sales have hovered around 100,000 per year, half the initial production capacity.

In short, the Smart is a car that cannot carry more than two, cannot carry much and cannot go fast. This car is not good for a run down to the Rivera or on the super highways of Europe. True, the Smart is good to park, but people usually buy cars to go places and carry things, not to park.

The new DaimlerChrysler management, headed by Dieter Zetsche, considered killing the car. That has not happened. First, it is always embarrassing for management to admit to a mistake, and second, the factory in France was a symbol of German-French partnership, and it is unpleasant politically for Germans to lay off all those Frenchmen.

Now, instead of being canceled, Smart is coming to the United States. This is actually the second attempt to bring the car to this market. A few years ago, Mercedes set up an operation to sell the car in the U.S. but then cancelled the project. Now management is being smarter about it: Instead of selling the car through its Mercedes or Chrysler channels, they have picked United Auto Group as the exclusive distributor.

United Auto, which Roger Penske runs, will recruit dealers to sell the car. This is a good move. For starters, Penske is brilliant, knows how to hold down costs and how to sell cars. This also keeps any failure risk away from the parent company.

DaimlerChrysler is not looking for big sales; my guess is somewhere between 15,000 and 30,000 units per year, through 30 to 50 dealers, at first. Those are modest numbers and a tiny slice of a U.S. auto market of 16.5 million. For reference, BMW sells 40,000 Minis per year in the U.S.

No doubt, there will be lots of publicity in New York and Los Angeles, featuring celebrities in their politically correct little cars. But the Smart is too small for the U.S. The present model is just 98 inches long. In contrast, the Mini is 144 inches long; a Chevy Impala is 200 inches. I have driven a Smart, and it can get scary. Entering a freeway with a Smart is not a pleasant experience, and you don't want to be alongside a Chevrolet Suburban when the driver suddenly decides to change lanes.

Smart will have a new model when the U.S. deliveries start early in 2008, and it could be a few inches longer, but we are still talking about a tiny car. The present plan is to offer the standard coupe and a convertible. At one time, DaimlerChrysler had planned a larger four-seater and a small utility vehicle for the U.S., but that was a "journey that was not taking us anywhere," says Dieter Zetsche, who also predicts Smart will be profitable next year, meaning they have written off much of the cost.

Another problem: The price here for the French-built car could be as much as $15,000, thanks to the strong euro and mandated safety and emissions equipment. DaimlerChrysler currently sells the Smart in Canada, with a diesel engine, at a rate of fewer than 4,000 per year. For about the same money, you can buy a number of regular small sedans, with back seats, trunks and engines with at least 100 horsepower. In short, the alternatives to Smart are real cars.

You have heard the expression, "rich man's toy"? The Smart is it.