Smart Fortwo Edition Highstyle Ups the Luxury Ante

In keeping with its long tradition of special edition models, Smart has announced the launch of its latest creation, the Fortwo Edition Highstyle that is characterized by additional features, the use of finer materials and special color schemes. On the outside, the special edition Smart is distinguished by the chocolate brown metallic finish, the new 15-inch, twelve-spoke alloy wheels and the "Edition Highstyle" logos in aluminum look.

Inside, the Fortwo features a mix of fabric and leather in contrasting colors which is further enhanced by the decorative brown seams on the seats. The kneepad and instrument panel have a leather look, while the 3-spoke sports steering wheel is covered with leather, as is the gear knob. Trim parts in matt silver round off the changes.

Based on the Coupe Passion trim, the Highstyle comes equipped with standard softouch automatic gear programme, electric windows, air conditioning with automatic temperature control, a panoramic roof with sunblind as well as additional dashboard instruments and Smart's radio 9 audio system.

The special Fortwo model is available with a 71HP engine fitted with a start and stop system or with a 84HP engine and costs in Germany €15,695 and €16,195 respectively (including VAT).

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All-Electric Smart Fortwo with Tesla Li-ion Batteries to enter Production in November

The first examples of Smart's second-generation Fortwo Electric Drive will roll off the production line at the firm's Hambach plant in France in mid November, the company announced today. Initially, the all-electric Smart that is powered by a lithium-ion battery sourced from Tesla Motors (Daimler recently bought a 10 percent stake in the company) will be leased to customers in Berlin and other cities in Europe and the USA but from 2012 it will enter series production and be available through the Smart dealer network to anyone interested

The plug-in Smart gets a magneto-electric motor, which delivers 30kW or 41-horsepower and 120 Nm or 89 lb-ft of torque, and is installed at the rear of the vehicle. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 km/h (37 mph) in 6.5 seconds while its top speed is limited to 100 km/h or 62 mph.

Power is provided 14 kWh lithium-ion battery pack which is housed in the underfloor between the axles where the tank is located in other smart models meaning that the interior space is not compromised. The battery can be charged at any fused 220 Volt socket with Smart claiming that a three-hour charge will get you about 30 to 40 km (25 miles) while an 'overnight' full charge is sufficient for up to 115 kilometers (72 miles) of driving.

Smart says that, based on German electricity prices, it costs about two euros (approx $2।8 at today's exchange rates) to drive the Fortwo Electric Drive for 100 kilometers or 62 miles, which is less than the price of two liters of petrol in Germany.

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2010 Smart Fortwo: 21 Percent More Power, Same Fuel Consumption for Diesel Model

Smart has introduced the 2010 model year Fortwo that benefits from a revised diesel engine as well as from minor optimizations for the petrol units. The re-engineered 3-cylinder diesel now has an output of 54HP or 21 percent more power than before and a maximum torque of 130Nm, an increase of 18 percent. Even though the more powerful diesel makes the Fortwo more lively allowing the mini to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in 16.8 sec, combined fuel consumption still stands at 3.4lt/100km (69mpg US) while CO2 emissions also remain at just 88 g/km.

For the petrol range, Smart's engineers optimized the engine and the transmission management in order to comply with the more demanding EU5 exhaust gas standards.

Other changes for the 2010MY Fortwo include new contrast components in shiny pearl black for the interior along with a new folding armrest which is available as an option. Further optional equipment includes the smart hands-free system with a colour display and extensive multimedia functions.

In Europe, the updated Smart Fortwo is available for order now with prices for the petrol models remaining unchanged while the 54HP Fortwo cdi starts from €11,790 in Germany.

[Source: Carscoop]

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