Smart, one of the youngest car makes in the market, stands for innovation, functionality and joy of life; that’s why it appeals to customers who are interested in new, clever and trend-setting solutions in the automotive sector. Smart drivers are characterized by attitude, not by age, profession, gender or any other ‘traditional’ criteria clustering groups of people. Smart customers profile is of openminded people, who questions the existing and live consciously.

Since October 1998 the Smart ForTwo has attracted more than 750,000 customers in 36 countries. As a brand of DaimlerChrysler, Smart benefits from the parent’s corporation technical expertise in the automotive business. The successor to the Smart ForTwo will be launched in Europe next year and will be available in the US for the first time the following year. Beginning in 2008, the successor to the Smart ForTwo will be available in three models. So that the world’s largest automotive market will be the 37th country to receive the fabulous.UnitedAuto Group, Inc. (NYSE:UAG) will be responsible for awarding potential dealers as well developing and maintaining a Smart vehicle dealership network in the United States and Puerto Rico.

The fact that sales have nevertheless risen is attributable in first place to the four-seater ForFour, which has further improved its position as an innovative vehicle with premium character in the highly competitive small car sector. Demand also remained steady for the two-seater ForTwo. Despite the fact that the follow-up model will be premiered in the coming year, the Smart ForTwo continues to sell so well in its eighth year that the planned production output for 2006 has been raised once again by 5,000 units.

Impressive scope: From the economical diesel to the Smart ForFour BRABUS Xclusive

Diesel particle filters will also be available for retrofitting on the diesel variants of the Smart ForTwo and Smart ForFour in the course of spring. A voucher for free retrofitting has been provided with all Smart ForTwo Cdis y ForFour Cdis delivered in Austria and Germany since 2005.
A new addition to the Smart ForTwo range is the special model “edition red”, which comes as a coupe and cabrio variant in an intense all red finish. Based on the ForTwo BRABUS, it is also fitted with the 55 kW (75 bhp) engine, which attains a top speed of 150 km/h (instead of the normal 135 km/h). The focus is on performance and luxury — thespecial edition red model features an interior in leather and alcantara, air conditioning, 16” alloy wheels and wide tires, front spoiler and sports exhaust system.

Another new feature in the Smart ForTwo and Smart ForFour is a portable navigation system that is fitted securely on the instrument panel and provides clearly understandable directions via the car audio and loudspeakers. The radio is muted while the directions are announced. The Smart audio system additionally incorporates an MP3 interface, enabling it to play music form a connected MP3 player.

The main eye-catcher in the Smart ForFour line is the BRABUS SBR, rated at 155 kW / 210 bhp. In contrast to the concept car presented at the Motor Show in Essen, the BRABUS SBR is fully suitable for road use, emphasizing once again the potential harbored by the Smart ForFour. There are no plans to put the 226 km/h racing version — the first Smart with more than 200 bhp — into production, although a small batch would be conceivable.

A new development among the Smart ForFour production models is the differentiation between the Smart ForFour BRABUS and ForFour BRABUS Xclusive. Both have the 130 kW (177 bhp) engine, enabling a top speed of 221 km/h. Both come with alloy wheels, sports chassis, rear spoiler and double-pipe rear muffler. While the Smart ForFour BRABUS Xclusive concentrates on exclusive features (e.g. leather and Alcantara interior), the focus of the Smart ForFour BRABUS is
on straightforward sportiness, as a result of which it retails at a lower price.

There are also new developments in the area o the Smart roadster and Smart roadster coupe too. The first car of a limited “collector’s edition” was shown at the Geneva Motor Show. This car is based on the top roadster BRABUS Xclusive version, but sports a new brown matte exterior finish for an additional refined appearance. A visual highlight inside is the high-quality and exclusive brown leather finish, which features on the seats, the dashboard and the door trim panels.

Smart is indeed an intelligent solution, which with no doubt, will be a great choice for those who have the capability of featuring what to be Smart means.