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How Cute: Smart Fortwo Says Hello Kitty to U.S. Buyers with Special Wraps

Hopefully, most of our readers will agree that a Smart Fortwo is a far more suitable candidate for a 'Hello Kitty' makeover than a Ferrari 360 Modena [weep here]. Furthermore, unlike the custom Modena, the Fortwo Hello Kitty is an officially licensed product as Smart's US distributor, Penske Automotive and Sanrio, the owner of the 'Hello Kitty' brand, signed an agreement to add a series of car wrap designs featuring the popular feline to the carmaker's vehicle customization program.

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.

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.

Daimler subsidiary MBTech has presented a 1:1 scale model of its Reporter concept study at the 63rd IAA Commercial Vehicles Show in Hannover. The four-seater plug in hybrid pickup truck with the Smart Fortwo-esque fascia was designed in just six months using CAD and digital prototyping.

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.

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.

Numbers for Smart's Lilliputian Fortwo are dismal here in the States: from 24,600 units in 2008, sales dipped to 14,600 cars in 2009 and are 60% down to date this year. Furthermore, only 8.1% of metro New York buyers would return to the brand, while San Francisco is marginally better at 19.8%. With virtually no marketing (that I can see), a transmission with quirks that have to be explained, and a $14,000 price tag, something clearly has to be done to rectify the misperceived city car brand.Read more »

Smart Commemorates 10 Years of UK Sales with Special Edition Fortwo

In celebration of 10 years of sales in the UK, Smart is launching a new exclusive model called the Fortwo "gb-10" edition, of which only 100 will be produced for the local market. The mix of models consists of 50 gasoline engine coupes, 10 gasoline cabrios, 30 diesel coupes and 10 diesel cabrios.

For those that find the standard Smart ForTwo too cute and feminine for their tastes, there's this awesome creation; a tanked-out version of Mercedes-Benz's Lilliputian sub³compact. Add a rotating turret with a built in projectile launcher and are you all set for combat. Too bad we don't have the 'Full Monty' on the car and its creator.

The Smart Fortwo is entering the 2011 model year with an almost invisible change here and there complemented by the introduction of more economical engines.

In addition to the new range of available exterior colors that now include a matt finish and the availability of a red or blue colored soft-top for the cabrio models, the updated Fortwo gets fresh fabric and color options for the interior while the tridion safety cell is now optionally available in white.

Mercedes-Benz's Smart brand is expanding its line of accessories for the Fortwo mini with a new series of adhesive foil stickers that are applied to the car's tridion safety cell as well as with new BRABUS interior components and LED daytime driving lights.

Merc's Smart brand is continuing its series of special edition versions of the Fortwo microcar with the presentation of the Greystyle edition that stands out thanks to its unique color combinations inside and out.

Available as a coupe or a cabrio with a 71HP petrol engine with micro hybrid drive technology (a.k.a. start and stop technology) or a 84HP petrol engine, the Greystyle Fortwo comes in an exclusive matt dark grey finish with matching 15-inch alloy wheels and contrasting yellow mirror caps.

The same color theme is found in the interior that combines dark colored fabric and high-quality nappa leather upholstery with yellow accents and trim parts.

Standard features include unique floor mats with the edition logo and the MP3-compatible CD radio smart radio 9. Electric power steering, heated seats, a lockable glove compartment and the smart sound system with MP3 interface are optionally available.

The special edition Fortwo Greystyle is on sale now with prices in Germany starting from €16,135 or about US$22,200 (including VAT).

Caption This; Rich Uncle Pennybags Meets Sarkozy...

Normally, we should have just reported the story on Daimler AG's announcement that it has selected the Smart's plant in Hambach, France, as the location for future series production of the plug-in electric Fortwo and stayed at that...

But once we saw this picture of Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars shaking hands with French President Nicolas Sarkozy during a visit at the Hambach plant, our mind automatically switched to comic mode and well, let's just say that things like "Rich Uncle Pennybags -aka Mr Monopoly- meets life-size caricature of Sarkozy" and "Now we know why Daimler builds the Fortwo in Hambach" kept us amused for a while ...

New Smart Fortwo Edition HighStyle Added to UK Lineup

Smart has announced UK pricing for its recently launched Fortwo Edition HighStyle. The latest addition to the Fortwo range costs from £10,900 on the road and is available solely as a coupe. Only 215 of the edition HighStyle are making their way to the UK with 180 of these featuring the 71 bhp engine and 33 with a turbocharged 84 bhp unit. The special edition model is finished in a chocolate brown metallic and features 12-spoke, 15-inch alloy wheels, a silver tridion safety cell and aluminium-look 'highstyle' logos.

The model's interior benefits from heated, leather metallic-silver seats together with leather optic door inserts and upper and lower dashboards, matt-silver detailing throughout the cabin, a leather three-spoke steering wheel with gearshift buttons and leather-trimmed gearknob.

The vehicle's stand equipment also includes an integrated audio and navigation system from Pioneer with Bluetooth, iPod and USB connectivity.

Smart and Brabus Launch Special Individual Programme for Fortwo in Frankfurt

In conjunction with performance and styling specialists Brabus, Smart has developed a new individualization programme for its Fortwo micro car. The German firm claims that "anything is possible" with this service as customers can choose from thousands of different finishes for the exterior, numerous types of leather in around 100 colors , six cabrio soft top colors as well as the whole Smart and Smart-Brabus range of accessories.

As part of the new customization service, buyers will also be able to specify their car's body panels and tridion safety cell from a palette of 18 vivid colors, each with a supercar or heritage theme including a vibrant Campbell Blue that pays homage to the iconic Bluebird land speed record.

The Smart-Brabus tailor made concept, which is being officially launched at this week's Frankfurt Motor Show, will be available this winter.