01 Mar 06
Smart's tagline for its Geneva display is 'smart forward!' and it is emphasising its assured future by announcing that last year, it met its sales targets and upped its sales for the seventh year in succession - even if it hasn't yet turned a profit for DC.
It sold 143,000 vehicles last year, despite the discontinuation of the Roadster, and disappointing take-up of the Forfour supermini. The two-seater Fortwo continues to sell well, with output raised by 5,000 for next year; it has been particularly popular in Italy, where 39,800 Smarts of all sizes were sold last year.
Smart now has 1,200 dealerships across Europe, a rise of 20% and it has overhauled its advertising and sales strategy as well as slimming down its costs; a number of employees were made redundant, but 97% of these have found positions elsewhere in DaimlerChrysler. It's all on track, says the company.
Emphasising all the forward-looking, the Crosstown concept has made another public appearance. The forerunner to a Mk2 Fortwo, it has been developed slightly since it was seen in Frankfurt last year. A refined hybrid powertrain has been fitted, combining an electric motor with a tiny turbocharged petrol engine.
Marking the run-out of the current Fortwo city car, Smart is offering Fortwo Edition Red models. These have the 75bhp engine, as in the Fortwo Brabus, 16" alloy wheels, a front spoiler and a sports rear exhaust muffler - and yes, they are painted a bright red, with red-detailed interior trim, leather/Alcantara upholstery, aluminium pedals, plus air conditioning and an MP3 player. Prices start from ¬20,500 (coupe) or ¬23,200 (cabriolet): UK availability and pricing will be announced shortly. The revised Mk2 Fortwo is expected to make its debut later this year.
Other eco-friendly Smarts on display are the fully-electric Smart EV, which has a range of around 110km between fill-ups; and the continuing Fortwo CDI, which can do up to 83mpg. From spring, this latter model, and the Smart Forfour CDI, will be offered with particulate filters to further reduce their emissions. Owners of existing cars in Germany and Austria can have a filter retro-fitted free of charge.
