REPORT: Daimler and Renault collaborating on four-door Smart
Reports of a collaboration between Daimler and Renault on a new four-door model to join the Fortwo in Smart dealerships just won't die, leading us to believe there may be a ring of truth behind the rumors. The last time Daimler set out to partner up on a more mainstream Smart, the resulting Forfour – which was based on borrowed underpinnings from Mitsubishi – never met sales expectations and was canceled after a few short years on the market.
Collaborating with Renault on the development of a four-door Smart should help shield Daimler from the high cost of developing a model-specific platform that's unlikely to sell in particularly high volumes. Further, the rumored new model would offer Smart buyers a new option to compete with the new Toyota iQ, which seats up to four occupants despite its diminutive dimensions.
[Source: Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mark Kiernan 6:54AM (9/10/2009)
There are many Smart forfours here in Italy, not very common but you do see them from time to time. I think it is a pretty good car. I think it was sold in both gas and diesel models.
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Mirko 7:30AM (9/10/2009)
The Forfour had 5 Mitsubishi gassers from (65, 75, 96, 109 and 175 hp) and two Mercedes diesels (68 and 96 hp). It was a good car. Nice interior with lots of cloth or leather on the dashboard, and the low weight made it fun even with the smallest engines.
It wasn't nearly as small as the Toyota iQ. It was more like the Polo.