New smart ForFour to be a stretched ForTwo?
The original smart ForFour was based on the underpinnings of the Mitsubishi Colt and was phased out due to slow sales. Daimler may not be giving up on the idea of a four passenger smart car, though, and according to Motor Authority, the new ForFour could be a stretched version of the ForTwo, which might make it a bit simpler to produce. The same 3 cylinder engine could be used to power the FourTwo as well, but it may not be powerful enough for the American market when the vehicle is laden with four passengers and some luggage.
We like the look of the ForTwo, but are unsure if it would translate well with four doors. No matter, we'll keep you up to date with any news that we hear.
[Source: Motor Authority]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mattias 3:47PM (3/13/2008)
I am sure four average Europeans are as heavy as two average Americans, so a longer ForFour for Europe is OK as well as a wider ForFatties for the US.
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rar 4:04PM (3/13/2008)
Go jump Mattias, I have seen plenty of fat a$$ people in Europe too.
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MetroMPG.com 4:05PM (3/13/2008)
"We like the look of the ForTwo, but are unsure if it would translate well with four doors. "
Where does it say it must have 4 doors? The 4-seat VW and 3.5-seat Toyota models it would compete with (in some markets) have 2 doors.
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rgseidl 4:07PM (3/13/2008)
IFF Daimler decides to extend the life of the smart fortwo platform by getting back into derivative models, a stretched model is one way to go.
The engines would need to be beefed up or preferably, hybridized using Li-ion batteries integrated into the seats. The tricky part there is attaching the coolant hoses to the front seats since they need to be movable (electrically). Electric hub motors in the rear would ease comfort issues with the manumatic transmission and could provide torque steering assist to reduce the turning circle.
The diesel engine will have to be revamped very soon in any case, because it only barely meets Euro 4 emissions with the current flow-through DPF and, the low PM limit of Euro 5 goes into effect in September of 2009.
The special Tridion safety cell of the smart may allow designers to make do without B columns and use suicide doors for the rear seats. These would have to be closed before the front doors are, but getting into and out of the rear should be much easier. On the other hand, the extra weight of the stretched body, the electric drive components and the additional passengers will make it hard to meet head-on crash tests unless the IP, pedals and front seats are moved back several inches.
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rar 4:43PM (3/13/2008)
rgseidl, after you do all that, it would sell for over $20,000. At that price, you might as well buy a real car.
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Throwback 5:27PM (3/13/2008)
They should look at the Toyota IQ or the Mitsubishi I.
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rgseidl 5:31PM (3/13/2008)
@ rar -
the smart's always been a relatively expensive car, but it has found an audience regardless. Note that European car prices are anyhow quite a bit higher than those in the US.
That said, stretching the fortwo eliminates its one advantage: easy parking. A forfour mk II would indeed be hard pressed to win sales against e.g. the Mini or the Fiat 500.
Smart would probably win more sales by simply offering a pure EV version of the fortwo. The UK sales organization has joined forces with local companies to cobble one together, but it's based on a zebra battery. HQ has not given approval for sales to the general public, perhaps because they would prefer to switch to Li-ion.
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Sos10 8:32PM (3/13/2008)
The Smart has absolutely no future. It was a nice original idea by Swatch, but Mercedes ruined it by putting a gas engine in it. It has been slightly successful in several markets, although Smart never made a profit.. and now with Toyota coming out with the IQ... bye bye!
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FThorn 7:09PM (3/14/2008)
Every video clip I see of Europeans they are not substantially different in body build, on average.
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YaThink? 10:37PM (11/20/2008)
I have a Smart fortwo on order, and saw the forfour here...I would prefer the forfour, even if it were a little longer...as long as the rear seat was more comfortable than a Mini...even my grandkids can't sit in the rear seat of a mini.....I know, I tried it....really hope that the forfour becomes available soon.........
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TruthSayer 10:44PM (6/14/2009)
"The smart fortwo and smart fortwo BRABUS are the only models scheduled for production for the USA. All smart fortwo vehicles, including the BRABUS smart fortwo, come equipped with the 3-cylinder, 1-liter gasoline powered engine.
smart USA is excited to announce that the smart fortwo electric drive is anticipated to arrive in the United States during the second half of 2010. This vehicle will initially be offered in limited volume and in select markets. Series production of the smart fortwo electric drive will begin in calendar year 2012.
The manufacturer has cancelled production of the smart forfour and roadster worldwide."
http://www.smartusa.com/smart-car-faq.aspx
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