Look Out Smart Car - The T.25 Gets 74 MPG

There's something looming in the rear view mirror of Smart cars everywhere, and it's the work of Gordan Murray, designer of the famous McLaren F1 (top speed: 240 miles per hour). Murray's latest conceit tops out at a comparably puny 90 mph, but here's the thing: it gets an astounding 74 miles per gallon- in the city.

It's the just revealed T.25 City Car, which we've been waiting for for three years. And here's what makes it such a looming figure in the Smart car rear view- it's only 8 feet long by 4 feet wide, meaning three T.25s can fit in one standard size parking space. With the driver sitting front and center, two passengers can occupy the back seat. It's turning radius is under 20 feet - an Escalade needs 39.

Smart Car Leads Police On Fast Freeway Chase

With speeds often reaching 90 mph, police chased a suspect Monday evening in a Smart car through the San Fernando Valley towards Pasadena.

CHP officers, about half hour into the chase, decided to pull back in an effort to get the driver to slow down, according to authorities. They abandoned the chase altogether when they determined who the driver was and where he lived, said officials. At that point, the chase was well onto the eastbound Foothill (210) Freeway approaching Sylmar.

The super-small and very fast Smart car was pursued initially on the northbound Hollywood (170) Freeway. The CHP pulled over the driver for speeding. After giving the officer his license and registration, the driver took off -- turning a traffice infraction into a felony by fleeing from authorities.

[Oh yeah, baby!]

Smart Shows Electric Drive Fortwo

Smart had the new fortwo electric drive on display at the Detroit Auto Show 2009. "At the end of 2009, smart will begin producing the smart fortwo electric drive equipped with a lithium-ion battery." But people in the US probably shouldn't hold their breath, because our sources tell us in might take until 2010-2011, and even then, numbers might be low.

Diminutive but ElectrifyingThe Toyota FT-EV electric car concept that debuted at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show is based on the platform of the 57 MPG Toyota iQ microcar that recently went on sale in Europe and that is apparently already a hit in Japan.

EPA Rates smart fortwo Most Fuel Efficient Non-Hybrid

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2009 Fuel Economy Guide 2009 ranks smart fortwo as the most fuel efficient, non-hybrid vehicle in the United States. The guide places the fortwo as fifth overall in the ranking. The smart fortwo is sold in the United States by smart USA Distributor LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Automotive Group, Inc.

"The smart fortwo demonstrates there are options, other than hybrids, when seeking excellent fuel economy at a time when fuel prices have been at a historic high," said Dave Schembri, president of smart USA. "This vehicle has a low cost of ownership starting under $12,000 and is one of the most ecological vehicles on the road today, not only for its environmental friendliness, but also for its compact size in an age of increasing urban congestion."

The 2009 smart fortwo achieves an average of 41 miles per gallon on the highway according to 2009 EPA regulations. The smart fortwo is powered by a state-of-the-art, compact, three-cylinder gasoline engine that sits at the rear of the vehicle. The engine capacity is 61 cubic inches, producing an output of 70 hp.

The vehicle already exceeds the goal set by Congress for the vehicle fleet and is classified as an Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle by the California Air Resources Board for its extremely low exhaust emissions. It is also certified by EPA as a "Smartway" vehicle, which indicates good environmental performance, placing it among the "greenest" vehicles on the market.

The ecology of the smart fortwo extends into its component materials and the manufacturing processes used to produce it. Ninety-five percent of the vehicle is recyclable, and the dash material is made from recycled synthetics. In addition, the "smartville" factory in France, where the vehicle is produced, is one of the most modern and environmentally friendly plants in the world.

Berlin Announces Plans for World's Largest Community Electric Car Infrastructure

Last Friday, Chancellor Angela Merkel gave the green light to an ambitious infrastructure project, launching the world's largest community effort for climate-friendly electric cars. Electricity provider RWE will install 500 power-points, where electric cars can charge up.

Daimler AG and Smart are partnering in the project, which aims to have100 electric Smart Cars on the streets of Berlin by the end of 2009.

57 MPG Toyota iQ Goes on Sale in Europe

The Toyota iQ is making quite a few waves: Thanks to its 3+1 seating arrangement, it is the the smallest 4-passenger car in the world, its design has gotten lots of attention, even from the Royal College of Art, and it is also the first car with a rear curtain airbag for improved safety.

Now Europeans have a chance to buy one (though deliveries will only start in January). No release date for the U.S. yet.

Las Vegas Hummer Dealership Switches to SMART Cars and Vespa Scooters

Hummer Excessive Even for Bling City

Dan Towbin's Hummer dealership in Las Vegas is one of the biggest in the USA. It was even featured in the "King of Cars" documentary on A&E. But the time they are a-changin', and the Vegas Hummer dealership will soon shut down, making it at least the 8th Hummer dealership to close in the US.

Reborn from the Ashes, Smaller & Smarter

But Mr. Towbin has plans. He wants to open a Smart car dealership, and he's already selling many other brands including Vespa scooters. From Hummers to Smarts and Vespas. Not bad.

Toyota iQ: The Smallest Four-Passenger Car in the World

The Toyota iQ, which was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show, will go on sale in Japan in October and in Europe a few months later. Lets have a closer look.

Big Space in Small PackageUnlike the Smart Car which can only seat two people, the Toyota iQ has 4 seats, though only 3 of those can accommodate adults. The last one is better used for a small child, a baby seat or a grocery bag. Still, not bad for a car that fits somewhere between the Smart and Yaris in length (117 inches).

Smart Cars Have A Year-Long US Waiting List?

For most of its 10-year history, Daimler's (DAI) Smart car division has had a reputation for making small cars that lose big money. In 2005 and 2006, Stuttgart-based Daimler recorded more than $3 billion in restructuring costs for the division that produced the diminutive two-seater. Frustrated execs at one point vowed to sell the division or kill the quirky vehicle if they couldn't fix the chronic money loser.

Turns out the Smart may simply have been ahead of its time. Suddenly, Smart sales are soaring, even in the U.S., where the brand has been available since January. Smart USA has sold more than 14,000 cars in the U.S.--about double what Daimler expected--and there is a yearlong waiting list. Worldwide, Smart sales are up 57% this year, to 81,300 vehicles, and Daimler has added shifts at its factory in Hambach, France. Daimler doesn't disclose results for Smart separately, but analysts expect operating earnings of about $75 million on sales of $1.5 billion. The 5% margin compares to about 8% for Mercedes cars as a whole.

STATUS SYMBOL
Gas prices only provide a partial explanation for the Smart's surge. True, the Smart, with a three-cylinder engine and colorful plastic body panels, gets great mileage. At 41 mpg on the highway, the Smart is the most fuel-efficient nonhybrid gasoline car on American roads. A diesel version (not available in the U.S.) gets 71 mpg.

But Smart buyers aren't your average penny-pinchers. Many are affluent, design-conscious folks who have seen Smarts during trips to Europe and own at least one other car. To Daimler's surprise, only 5% of U.S. customers choose the $11,590 base model, instead ordering spiffier versions such as the $16,590 convertible. Though some drivers say the Smart feels like a mouse among elephants on the highway, Ron Moreau, a 74-year-old Williamsburg (Va.) resident, says his two Lexus models have hardly left the driveway since he bought a $16,800 Smart Passion in July.

Ford Introduces 63.6 MPG ECOnetic Diesel Fiesta... Only in Europe

Ford Fiesta ECOnetic DieselAt the British International Motor Show, Ford has introduced the ECOnetic version of its Ford Fiesta. The engine is a 1.6-liter Duratorq TDCi (diesel) that has been tweaked for efficiency. Fuel economy for the ECOnetic Fiesta is 3.7 L/100km (63.6 mpg US) combined, or 3.2 L/100km (73.5 mpg US) on the highway! It's not exactly a race car, with 0 to 60 mph in 12 seconds, but those who will buy it won't care, the mileage will more than make up for it.

Fuel Saving TricksThe ECOnetic Fiesta uses a bunch of tricks to reduce fuel consumption, things like improved aerodynamics (its coefficient of drag is 0.33), weight reduction, low rolling resistance tires, and enhanced lubrication. Simple enhancements that could be used on most cars.

[Why only in Europe? Europe sets the average car MPG at 60! It is 20-something in the United States. Can you image what would happen if U.S. automakers would just sell cars they already make for Europe in the U.S.?]

Mimi - Smart Car

I brought home Mimi about a week ago.

Okay, so she gets great gas mileage. She is a convertible. The top can be raised or lowered at any speed. Leather heated seats, automatic sensing lights and windshield washers, four airbags, and 6 CD changer.

I love not having to go the gas station every week. In fact, I still haven’t put gas in her yet. The first time I will fill up the gas tank will probably be this weekend.

You can see below about the good ratings on crash tests.

I like that I am just carting around enough car for what I need on a general basis. 99% of the time it is just me in the car, so I don’t need space for 5 people, plus cargo. The United States needs to get used to the idea of smaller vehicles that get better mileage.

Smart car gets highest score in crash tests

Unlike most cars on the road, the pint-sized 2008 Smart fortwo evokes a simple question at first glance: “How safe is it?”

The micro car, the smallest car for sale in the U.S. market, offers a good level of safety, according to new crash tests conducted by the insurance industry.

The 8-foot, 8-inch vehicle received the highest rating of good in front-end and side-impact testing by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, helping address some concerns that consumers may be more vulnerable in the tiny two-seater.The tests, released Wednesday, show how well vehicles stack up against others of similar size and weight. The institute noted that the front-end test scores can’t be compared across weight classes, meaning a small car that earns a good rating isn’t considered safer than a large car that did not earn the highest rating.Adrian Lund, the institute’s president, said a small car may be more practical in congested urban areas where serious, high-speed crashes are less likely. The institute conducted the crash test to help guide consumers who want a small car that can give them good protection.“All things being equal in safety, bigger and heavier is always better. But among the smallest cars, the engineers of the Smart did their homework and designed a high level of safety into a very small package,” Lund said.The institute’s frontal crash test simulates a 40 mile per hour crash with a similar vehicle. The side crash simulates what would happen if the vehicle was struck in the side by a sport utility vehicle at 31 mph.In a test that assessed the vehicle’s protection in rear crashes, the fortwo received the second-highest rating of acceptable.

Smart, a division of Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz brand, has arrived in U.S. showrooms this year as consumers deal with rising fuel prices. The vehicle, which had sold 6,159 units through the end of April, gets 33 miles per gallon in the city and 41 mpg on the highway. The fortwo is more than 3 feet shorter and nearly 700 pounds lighter than a Mini Cooper.

In earlier crash tests conducted by the government, Smart received the top score of five stars in side testing but the driver door unlatched during the test and opened. While it did not affect the vehicle’s test score, government regulators said the incident required them to note a safety concern for the vehicle which will appear on window stickers at dealerships.

The concern was warranted because the unlatching of the door could increase the likelihood of a driver or passenger being ejected from the vehicle, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

When the IIHS conducted its side test, the driver door also became unlatched. But the institute said the injury measurements on the test dummy were low and the opening didn’t affect the dummy’s movement.

The 1,800-pound car has a steel safety cage and four standard air bags, including two in front and two on the sides to protect the head and abdomen. It also has standard electronic stability control, which is designed to stop vehicles from swerving off the road.
“America has never seen a car this size before and their first question usually isn’t about (fuel) economy, it’s about safety,” said Dave Schembri, president of Smart USA. “And that’s why we think these results are so very important.”