Smart Car Leasing and Smart Contract Hire Offers

History of Smart

Compact, stylish and ideal for city driving, the Smart car was designed by Daimler-Benz and Swatch. With a focus on fuel economy and ease of parking, the dainty vehicle boasts a host of features and innovations that make it both sturdy and versatile.

The size of the tiny automobile means that it can be parked easily in tight spots and the development of the 'tridion' safety cell allows it to withstand high impact collisions with larger vehicles - the strategically placed steel layers absorb and redistribute crash energy away from passengers.

The modern logo and accessible design was spearheaded by Swatch but the engineering expertise came from Mercedes-Benz. This resulted in the successful launch of the Smart City Coupe in October 1998. Revealed in nine European countries, the car proved popular amongst the public and Daimler-Benz bought out Swatch just as the hype reached its peak.

Other models, such as the Roadster and Roadster-Coupe, were launched five years later followed by the Forfour sedan in 2004. However, the high price of these models meant that their reception was not met with same level of furore that surrounded the initial launches in the late 1990s. This led to the creation of a new business model centred around the City-coupe, which had been renamed Fortwo and revealed in 2006.

Some of the transmission and safety features were improved just as plans were made to expand the Smart enterprise to America. This model is still in production today but others, such as the Smart Roadster, Smart Crossblade and Smart City-Cabrio were discontinued.

The Smart Fortwo ED, an electric Smart car, is currently being trialled. Teamed with rising fuel prices and an increasing consumer interest in environmentally friendly practices, this latest model may have been created at the most opportune moment possible.