Interior space, ambiance, amenities, and a certain je ne sais quoi are all necessary when choosing an automotive boudoir. If we're honest, it's often a matter of any port in a storm, but if it's possible to avoid any of these, you should certainly do so.

Car: Toyota Prius

Why it's bad for sex: Let's just get this right out of the way and acknowledge that no one wants to have sex in a Prius. First of all, it's tough to get your swerve on in such an uninspiring object, something that's more consumer good than car. Second, you risk bringing a new life into the world, which will certainly be a waste of precious resources. Third, if you're a Prius owner, the idea of a car being fun is completely alien to you so you have your 20 minutes of lights-off missionary-position relations in the futon like a proper citizen anyway.

Photo: Flickr

Car: Chevrolet Aveo

Why it's bad for sex: Sex is just one of many things you should never attempt with the poor, misbegotten Aveo, including driving it, walking up to it or getting in it. But especially not sex. There's enough room, barely, if you're young, short, and athletic, but men have paid good money for drugs that give them the same hardness as the interior surfaces of this car. The resulting conjugal bruises will get you the wrong kind of reputation .

Photo: Wikipedia

Car: Mazda Miata

Why it's bad for sex: While we love this car unreservedly, we are-like 98% of people-not exhibitionists, and to have any sort of workable sex in this car the top would have to be down. Also, much like 100% of people, we don't like our coitus to get interruptus by a power hardtop suddenly coming down on us because a flailing knee or elbow hit the switch.

Photo: Picasa

Car: Scion TC

Why it's bad for sex: While this cheap coupe is, or will be, the first car of a lot of eager young folks in an exploratory phase of their lives, we urge them to bring a blanket and find a wooded area. The TC is not so much a car as a platform for interior accessorizing, and getting into youthful carnal hijinks in this thing means you run a risk of getting something stuck in your illuminated cupholder. Buying a faux-billet LED-lit shift knob is one sort of loss of dignity; having a gloved proctologist hand it back to you in front of the entire ER is another.

Photo: Wikipedia

Car: Chevrolet Camaro

Why it's bad for sex: Traditionally, the two of you jump into the back seat of your two-door muscle coupe and proceed to put some sneaker prints on the headliner. However, just sitting in the back of the current Camaro will imprint the top of your head into the current headliner. And the front seats just don't recline enough or give enough leg room for advanced physical-intimacy contingencies. This is probably the only category of the contemporary muscle-car wars the Challenger wins going do- er, away.

Photo: Wikipedia

Car: Maybach 62

Why it's bad for sex: Because one's sex life is none of one's chauffer's business. Why, the very idea.

Photo: Wikipedia

Car: Mini (any)

Why it's bad for sex: Owners report that repeated heavy jolts can damage the rear shock mounts, resulting in reduced handling performance and a dramatic drop in ride quality, especially in early models. Also, even in a Clubman, there's no damn room in the thing.

Photo: Wikipedia

Car: Ariel Atom

Why it's bad for sex: Although a certain type of person might look at the Atom and notice the abundance of tie-down points, the multiple partner-handcuffing options, and the overall masochistic glory of this incredibly capable track car, it is in fact $65,000. For that price, you could afford any number of studded-leather bedsteads with enough left over for chains and whips.

Photo: candidcarcritic.com

Car: Smart ForTwo

Why it's bad for sex: Seriously, AskMen actually recommended this car, albeit in cabrio form. If you're more into achievement than enjoyment this could work, but in that case you'll probably have sex anywhere and everywhere anyway and don't need any sort of list to tell you. I mean, we're into bragging rights as much as the next person, but not bragging for bragging's sake, and sexually speaking the Smart hardly has enough room ForOne.

Photo: Wikipedia

Car: Dodge Caliber

Why it's bad for sex: Because it's just plain bad. The Caliber may, in fact, be the worst all-around car made today, and the idea of having sex in one has the same emotional resonance as having sex in a FEMA trailer or a Goodwill dumpster. Getting past the fact it's uncomfortable and it's not as roomy as it should be for a wagon/crossover/compromise-mobile, the Caliber is just kind of depressing. And if word gets out, you'll always be "the person who had sex with [other loser] in a Dodge Caliber," meaning you probably won't ever have sex again.

Photo: Wikipedia

There are numerous cars here from many eras, including a few of our favorites and one completely charred microcar. Guesses as to what these vehicles may be should be left in the comments.
Photos: LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/MILOS BICANSKI/GETTY IMAGE
Photos: LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/MILOS BICANSKI/GETTY IMAGE
Photos: LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/MILOS BICANSKI/GETTY IMAGE
Photos: LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/MILOS BICANSKI/GETTY IMAGE
Photos: LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/MILOS BICANSKI/GETTY IMAGE
Photos: LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/MILOS BICANSKI/GETTY IMAGE
Photos: LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/MILOS BICANSKI/GETTY IMAGE
Photos: LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/MILOS BICANSKI/GETTY IMAGE

You can show up at the Dream Cruise in a Smart Fortwo, but this is considered disrespectful to the audience’s eyesight. As the Smart is an order of magnitude smaller than anything out there on Woodward, the viewer’s eye has to perform constant adjustments to correct for the perspective. This strains the tiny muscles in the iris of the eye—the dilatator pupillæ and the sphincter pupillæ—which can cause discomfort.

The considerate thing to do if you decide to cruise in a Smart is to cruise in a fleet of them. A line of Smarts will have a combined length comparable to a regular American muscle car, which allows for a more pleasant viewing experience from the curbs of Woodward Avenue.

This is what Verizon has decided to do, sending out a fleet of Smarts. But secondly, you want to dress the Smarts up in something pleasing to the doughy and fleshy Americans watching the rolling Amerigasmic cruise. Which is why Verizon's Smarts are wearing the livery of Penske Racing’s NASCAR team, which it sponsors. In the name of every dilatator pupillæ and sphincter pupillæ muscle present, a hearty thank you to all involved.

Keep a close eye on our Woodward Dream Cruise tag page for coverage all day!

Apparently there's a disturbing trend cropping up in Amsterdam wherein the local youths, no-doubt lubricated with chemicals known for bold destructiveness, have begun tossing Smart ForTwos into the city's canals under the cover of night. You see, it's only a coincidence, but ForTwos just happen to be short enough they can park nose to tail on the sidewalk bordering canals. There's normally a low gaurdrail in place to prevent cars from taking a drink, but lifting a car like the Smart over such a rail is child's play when in large groups. The local authorities are downplaying the trend for fear of copy-cats, as you can see, it's making the rounds. [DutchAmsterdam]

Photo Credit: Tinou Bao]

Smart is confirming that following the successful test period called the "smart electric drive" in London, they'll be offering a limited production run of Smart ForTwo EVs for sale in the UK in the 2010 calendar year. In addition, they're expanding the pilot program to other cities including Rome, Milan and Paris. We have a hard time getting excited about a microcar with a 40 HP electric motor that does 0-30 MPH in 6.5 seconds and tops out at 60 MPH. Hyped-up golf cart anyone?

[Source: Daimler]

These pictured were snapped inside a secret Mercedes storage facility somewhere in Germany. It's the Smart ForMore concept scheduled to debut at the 2005 Frankfurt Auto Show, but its premiere was canceled when Mercedes called a halt to the entire SmartUV program. We'd love to see what else might be hidden in there.

With styling clearly influenced by the Smart ForFour and with only minor concept car details like the hand-carved tires and iPod interior, this vehicle was clearly close to production. It's rumored that the ForMore was based on the Mercedes GLK. We guess this is as clear an indication as to how close we got to the SUVpocalypse as we'll ever get. [Caradisiac]

This car is just swell. It has the proportions of a classic fastback but is shrunk down to inner city size. Compare it with a bicycle and a 3-Series BMW:

The regular version came with 82 turbocharged horses but the one you see here was given the Brabus magic to up that to 101—a full 20% increase. The car weighs in the neighborhood of 70s Japanese hatches with its 1,700 pounds, to which you add your own fat ass and distort the handling.

The only drawback is the abysmal gearbox, the same molasses-slow automatic derided by every man who has ever driven it and took to a text editor afterwards.

But still, if it’s good enough for Gordon Murray—the man who designed the Fan Car, the McLaren F1 and the Formula One championship winning Brabhams and McLarens of Piquet and Senna—it should be good for all of us.

Now, this may not be a concern in the majority of the United States, but in cramped European downtowns, where swirling masses of pedestrians, bikers, cars, Range Rovers and buses vie for tiny amounts of space inherited from medieval times, a car you can park perpendicularly suddenly makes a lot of sense. Doesn't matter whether it's a G-Wiz or a Smart. Additionally, they're also usually more fuel efficient.

On the other hand, I did see a G-Wiz take a corner the other day. It was frightening to watch. The suspension provides insight into just what happens to all the discarded chopsticks produced by the city’s countless noodle bars.

The three tests we have are between the Honda Accord and the Honda Fit, the Toyota Camry and Toyota Yaris, and finally the Mercedes C300 and the Smart ForTwo. With each we get a full speed offset frontal crash with both cars traveling at 40 MPH, destruction and carnage ensue and rightly so, there's a lot of energy involved here. These are hardly scientific tests, and they represent the absolute most extreme crash scenario for these speeds, especially for the smaller cars. Ratings got from "Good" at the top of the scale through "Acceptable" and "Poor." Considering this is one car bashing into another, the evaluation is somewhat subjective, but it gives an idea of relative performance. Let's take a closer look at each.

Smart ForTwo Versus Mercedes C300

The Smart ForTwo is the poster child for Micro-Machine scale automobiles. With a tiny, tiny footprint and virtually zero front overhang, the 1808 lb ForTwo relies on a super-strong safety cage and airbags for protection. It's cold comfort against the much bigger Mercedes-Benz C300, tipping the scales at 3,560 lbs. Considering the circumstances, the little Smart held up pretty well, even though it bounced off the Benz like a pinball. The Benz scores a Good while the Smart gets a Poor, which is pretty harsh under these conditions. We like watching the three-pointed star float past the Smart in the slo-mo.

Honda Fit Versus Honda Accord

The Fit is one of our favorite little cars, with the new design maintaining the fun character of the original while giving it a little more room inside. The Fit uses traditional crumple zones for crash force dissipation but with such short overhangs there's not much room to slow absorb energy in a collision. When Accord meets Fit, we get an seriously mangled mess with the Fit. There's significant damage to the safety cage with the A-pillar crumpling and the wheel well smooshing up into the footwell. However, the front and side airbags kept the driver's head from bashing into hard parts. The 2489 lb Fit scored a Poor while the 3297 lb Accord was Good.

Toyota Yaris Versus Toyota Camry

The Yaris scores a Poor and the Camry gets an Acceptable, but this one seems like it needs another level of bad. In this crash the Yaris crumples up into a pretzel, with the A-pillar severely kinking, the wheel occupying the space where the driver's feet used to be and the door flying open. Yikes. The 2288 lbs Yaris is 200 lbs lighter than the Fit and the Camry is only 30 lbs less than the Accord, but the results seem more out of proportion than the differences in heft.

The system would work much like any other easy access rental enterprise such as Zipcar or the new Hertz Connect subscribers would have a one time registration fee and pay on a per minute, per hour, or per day basis for access to a Smart ForTwo. Cars can be picked up from a parking lot or random parking space without reservation or users can reserve a car by their cell phone or the internet. Rates in Ulm, Germany, where the program will launch first, start at 19 Euro cents a minute, 9.90 Euro an hour, and 49 Euro a day.

In the fall, the car2go service will launch in Austin, Texas. And, as you can see, apparently you'll be followed around by a longhorn cow while driving anywhere. Full press release below.

car2go for all: 200 good reasons for rediscovering city driving
*Ulm drives smart by the minute: from now on innovative mobility concept available to the public and on a 24/7 basis
*Enlarged: rental car fleet with 200 smart fortwo cdi
*Internationalization: car2go starts in Austin, Texas, in the fall

Stuttgart / Ulm – Good reasons for rediscovering city driving can now be found literally on every corner in Ulm. Daimler AG sees to it with car2go – its new mobility concept that makes driving a car as easy as using a mobile phone. Following the successful completion of the internal pilot phase, car2go with a fleet of 200 smart fortwo cdi is available from now on to all registered residents and visitors to Ulm – every day, around the clock, and at low rates. From Ulm, car2go goes straight to the international level, to the USA: Daimler plans to launch car2go in Austin, Texas, this autumn. "The very promising results of the first, internal pilot phase in Ulm show that with car2go we have found another answer to current and future mobility needs in metropolitan areas. Our project in Austin is the next logical step," says Dr. Thomas Weber, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.

With car2go, on 24 October 2008 in Ulm Daimler AG kicked off a pilot project for a new, flexible and environmentally compatible form of mobility concept of the city. car2go is another important element of the Daimler strategy on the road to sustainable mobility.

The principle is as simple as can be: whenever a car is needed, it can be rented spontaneously in passing out on the street, or it can be pre-booked via mobile phone or internet. The car then can be used as long as one likes, and can be returned to any unoccupied public parking space within the area of operation. The cost structure is clear and the use is simple: the 19 euro cents charged per minute covers taxes, insurance, mileage and even fuel. There are low rates for rental by the hour or day: 9.90 euros per hour or 49 euros per day. Sole condition for use is one-time free registration as a customer and a valid driver's license, to which a small seal is affixed. Once a person registers, he or she can open any car2go by means of a card reader placed behind the windshield.

From inside to outside

In the first pilot phase that began last October with 50 smart fortwo, some 500 employees of the Daimler Research Center in Ulm, plus 200 family members, participated as test drivers. The aim was to test the technical systems and gather initial experience with acceptance, user behavior, and effort for service in practical operation.

Robert Henrich, responsible project manager at Daimler AG, sums up: "The success of the first pilot phase surprised even us and shows how much importance already is attached to forward-looking mobility concepts today. In just two weeks more than 500 customers had registered with car2go – a number we had not anticipated. Sometimes I could see from my office window how employees sprinted to the parking lot after work to get a car2go before they were all gone." Their enthusiasm and the interest of the people of Ulm persist. In peak periods the entire fleet of 50 smart fortwo was being used to full capacity and could have been greatly expanded based on the user demand. Since the start, 8,000 rentals have been registered, and per day as many as eight customers have used one and the same vehicle.

Without exception user feedback was positive, and users were surprised how easy the system works in practice. The per-minute charging also was felt to be very customer-friendly. Moreover, from the beginning the project met with national and international interest. In the meantime numerous inquiries have been received from cities all over the world that also would like to offer car2go to their residents.

As intermediate step, in February the clientele was extended to include the employees of the Mercedes-Benz sales and service outlet Ulm/Neu-Ulm and the local Daimler subsidiary EvoBus. In line with this the number of car2go vehicles was raised to 100. This increased the overall number of car2go users to more than 1,000. The successful start has encouraged all parties to take the next step: today begins the public testing phase in Ulm, in which car2go is available to all 120,000 residents and people visiting the city. For this purpose the car2go fleet is being doubled to 200 vehicles.
"From the outset we saw car2go as an absolute enrichment and a great opportunity for the science city Ulm. The city profits tremendously from the public interest in car2go, and we hope to reduce the traffic load especially in the downtown streets and parking areas," says Ulm's mayor Ivo Gönner.

Everybody interested can immediately register in the internet at www.car2go.com or at the registration office in the Ulm city hall, right next door to Ulm cathedral. Here they also get the car2go seal for their driver's license.
Internationalization – from Ulm to Austin

The pilot project in the southern German city of Ulm will not be the only one – from the start the concept was planned for international use. Whereas in Ulm the purpose is to test the general acceptance of the concept and stabilize the technical systems, the second pilot project is designed to generate know-how for the international use of car2go. The demands include applicability to other cities, language regions and mobility trends as well as adaptation of the business processes to the legal requirements in other countries.

Jérome Guillen, director of the Business Innovation department at Daimler that developed the car2go concept comments: "We deliberately chose a large American city. In the USA the car sharing market has the highest growth rates in the world. For this reason we see very good chances of success there for car2go, especially because car2go offers many advantages over the known car sharing offers." For instance, car2go is distinguished by free availability of the vehicles in the city area without obligation to use certain parking spaces, on-the-spot rental for as long as one likes, as well as a simple and clear price structure.

The capital of Texas with its 750,000 residents is appreciably bigger than Ulm and is distinguished by its open-mindedness and its very involved citizens. "We very much look forward to becoming the first international partner of car2go," says mayor Will Wynn. "Our city is known for its strong sense of environmental responsibility. car2go fits this wonderfully because we can then offer the residents of Austin an intelligent mobility concept with a high positive environmental factor. The project has our full support."

As in the first phase of the German pilot project, car2go will begin in Austin with a defined group of users, for example city employees. It is then planned to make car2go accessible to the public in Austin in a second step.
Other factors predestining Austin to be the first international car2go city are the city's size and its up-to-date economic structure. Among other things it is the location of the fourth largest university in the USA. Beginning in autumn 2009 a fleet expected to number 200 smart fortwo mhd vehicles with automatic start/stop function will be put into operation there.

[Daimler]

The BatSmart was built by scissor door kitmaker Vertical Doors and inspired by the original George Barris-built Batmobile from the cheesy classic TV show. It's so true to the original design, the hot-rodding legend saw fit to sign the car himself. The BatSmart somehow evaded our attention when it debuted at SEMA last year, which is surprising considering it was presented by an excellent Catwoman impersonator. The BatSmart can be called many things; ridiculous, silly, weird, funny, dare we say 'batty'?

And no, the air filter jet engine outlet does not work.

[Carscoop, Autoblog]

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed to us the rumored partnership between Mercedes and Tesla for Smart EV battery packs and chargers is for real in an interview at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.

Correction: A version of this story included a line stating the new EV will cost $49,900. This is a price for a different vehicle.

GREEN CAR JOURNAL'S TOP 5 FOR 2009™ ANNOUNCED – ONE TO BE NAMED 2009 GREEN CAR OF THE YEAR® AT LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW
Winner to be Unveiled at a Nov. 20 Press Conference

LOS ANGELES – Oct. 30, 2008 — Green Car Journal's Top 5 for 2009™ – the year's best-of-the-best 'green' vehicles - have been identified by the magazine's editors. These vehicles are the five finalists competing for the Green Car Journal's 2009 Green Car of the Year® award: the BMW 335d, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid, smart fortwo and Volkswagen Jetta TDI. The 2009 Green Car of the Year will be unveiled at a morning press conference on Nov. 20 during Press Days at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The five models are important milestones for their manufacturers. The VW and BMW clean diesels are leading edge models signaling the advent of highly efficient, advanced diesel sedans that meet emissions certification in all 50 states. Ford's Fusion Hybrid, a full hybrid, is this automaker's first hybrid sedan. Saturn's Vue 2-Mode is GM's first application of its two mode hybrid system in a V-6 front-drive platform. The smart fortwo is a new-for-the-U.S., fuel efficient micro car with a small eco footprint.

"This is an exciting year for 'green' cars because of the many innovative and advanced models now emerging," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com. "In fact, this year's selection of nominees was more challenging than in years past because of the auto industry's greater emphasis on greener vehicles and the number of potential vehicles to consider. For the first time, we've also seen a pair of clean diesels and a small gasoline model giving hybrids serious competition."

Green Car Journal's Green Car of the Year program focuses on recognizing new model vehicles that provide real answers for new car buyers looking for a personal stake in lessening environmental impact. This may be through substantial improvement in fuel efficiency, lower emissions, use of an alternative fuel, or an overall lower environmental load.

Green Car Journal editors perform an exhaustive review of vehicle models to identify those that merit consideration for the Green Car of the Year program. Vehicles using all types of technologies, fuels, and powerplants are eligible. To qualify for consideration as a nominee in the 2009 Green Car of the Year program, a vehicle must exhibit characteristics that substantially raise the bar in environmental performance and be in production by January 1 of the award year. Plus, a potential nominee must be driven by Green Car Journal to allow first-hand evaluation of driving dynamics.

The 2009 Green Car of the Year will be selected by a jury comprised of nine jurors. These include Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club; Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council; Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of Ocean Futures Society; automotive expert and "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno; and automotive icon Carroll Shelby. Four Green Car Journal editors round out the jury.
About Green Car of the Year®

The Green Car of the Year® award is an important part of Green Car Journal's mission to showcase environmental progress in the auto industry. Since 1992, Green Car Journal has focused on the intersection of automobiles, energy, and environment, first with an industry newsletter and then with an award-winning auto enthusiast magazine. Today, the magazine is considered the premier source of information on high fuel efficiency, low emission, advanced technology, and alternative fuel vehicles. Green Car of the Year® is a registered trademark of Green Car Journal and RJ Cogan Specialty Publications Group, Inc.
About the Los Angeles Auto Show

For the third year in a row, the Los Angeles Auto Show will be held in the fall. Green Car Journal has been unveiling the Green Car of the Year® winner at the Los Angeles Auto Show every year since it initiated the annual award in 2005. The show opens for media only Nov. 19-20. Media registration is now open and the deadline to register online and still receive credentials in the mail is Oct. 31. Online registration will remain open until Nov. 6 but credentials must be picked-up on site. Public days run from Nov. 21-30. For general information visit www.LAautoshow.com.

[Green Car Journal]

Speech given by professor Gordon Murray at the 1st Anniversary Celebration of Gordon Murray Design.

Good evening and thank you for coming to our first anniversary celebration.
It’s one year since we began operations at Wharfside and our small company has grown into a great team of 29 very talented people. I have to offer a big thank you to our investors MDV and Caparo, not only for believing in us and the T.25 Project, but for their absolute support in our strategy and day to day running of the business.

We are calling this evening a ‘3D Evening’ because although we can’t show you the actual car, we can for the first time reveal the size and profile of the T.25 and through the 3-dimensional medium of the 15 dioramas we can show the impact that the car will have on our motoring world.

Tonight is all about giving you an update on the progress of our T.25 programme, to explain our business model and also to explain that it is a complete re-think of both small vehicle architecture and of the automotive manufacturing process.

There is no longer a debate about climate change. We have about 15 years left to slow this process down and we all know we have to change our attitude and our habits. Transport is only one part of the problem but it’s an important part because it’s about mobility and personal freedom as well as the environment.

I feel sure that in 20 years time we will be looking back and not believing that in 2008 we were dropping a child off at school in a 2.5 tonne vehicle, that achieved less than 20mpg. In just the same way as it is difficult to believe that 20 years ago, more than half the people in this room would have been smoking!

In the automotive sector we are making some steps in the right direction but they are far too little to make the sort of difference we need in the next 15 years. For example Hybrids although largely a marketing exercise can make a small improvement in urban areas but are worse in a full lifecycle analysis and do nothing for congestion, parking and mobility. Electric vehicles certainly have a place in urban areas and niche, low volume products but with today’s battery technology they have a bad lifecycle footprint and again do nothing for safety, parking and congestion.

Car manufacturers are largely ignoring the problems and almost every new model is launched larger and heavier than the last. There have been a few noticeable exceptions like the Smart and the Japenese KEI class cars but none of these help in all the problem areas.

Some companies are making more effort than others like Toyota with their new iQ due out next year. With some design ideas like thin shell seats, smaller air-conditioning units and repackaged powertrain, but that hardly constitutes a re-think, it’s evolutionary design and does nothing for congestion, parking, lifecycle damage or low cost transport and it’s still likely to weigh about the same as an original VW Golf.

We have two tools available right now – size and weight – and we need to give motorists an incentive to change to smaller, lighter cars and prove that these vehicles can be safe and above all fun to drive.

Innovation is only part of a process – what we need is a step-change in car packaging and in our manufacturing process – a revolution – a complete re-think. We believe that the T.25 architecture and manufacturing process will represent the biggest step forward in our automotive world since the model T Ford, exactly 100 years ago.
Our business model is quite simple – the architecture includes a separate body/chassis assembly. The manufacturing process can be adapted to many new powertrains, fuels and body styles.

The T.25 is only the first to use this process and Gordon Murray Design is already in discussion with potential customers for other versions of the car. We can offer anything from a simple licensing agreement for the manufacturing I.P through to a turn-key car programme to Job 1, including factory building design and assembly line layout.
The manufacturing process brings with it a massive reduction in capital investment and environmental damage.
The concept embraces all the challenges and finds solutions:

1. Lower purchase price – substantially less than current small cars.
2. Low cost motoring – approximately half the annual running cost of a hatchback and purchase price pay back in 4 years compared with a small hatchback.
3. Parking – 3 cars in one parallel parking space.
4. Congestion – 2 cars in one motorway lane.
5. Running emissions – less than half the UK average.
6. Lifecycle admissions – at least a 40% reduction.
7. Protecting our mobility.
8. Putting the fun back into driving.

Tonight we are privileged to have the wonderful Tantra George Harrison Mini as our centre piece. The Mini is an inspiration, it was iconic and classless. That is our aim with the T.25.

We can’t show you the actual car because that will belong to our customer, but for the first time we can share with you the actual size and proportions of the T.25.

We also have the 15 dioramas to illustrate the impact that this process and architecture will have in the future.
What began as an idea in 1993 is now a reality – it certainly represents the toughest challenge I’ve ever faced in my design career, but I now have what I consider to be the world’s best automotive design group to help deliver the next big step forward.

Thank you and have a good evening.

[Gordon Murray Design via autoblog]

Sales start for the Lorinser Fortwo with 101 HP

After the fast-moving study, Sportservice Lorinser is now bringing the series version of the Fortwo on the road: it was worth waiting, as the look and driving experience of the power dwarf remain almost unfiltered. 101 HP (74 kW) – more than in any factory version – provide a smart power caracteristics in any situation. After all, at only around 800 kg vehicle weight, the "horses" have an easy job. The conversion is based on the three-cylinder petrol-fuelled turbo engine with its standard 84 HP (62 kW).

With the power training from Winnenden, the small vehicle with the rear-wheel drive accelerates to 100 km/h in under ten seconds, and is therefore over one second faster than the standard vehicle. The Lorinser upgrade for the basic petrol-fuelled vehicle with previously 61 HP (45 kW) is just as nippy. 71 HP (55 kW) are now being mobilised, just like with the average series motorisation, which in turn has an output of 82 HP (60 kW) after its power was increased by the famous customiser. All Lorinser models achieve a regulated top speed of 160 km/h, which is more than the fastest factory version. That's why the speedometer also receives a discreet update. The interior may be small but the looks are great. Lorinser has the following design parts in stock for you: a black leather steering wheel with aluminium, an accented parts set for instruments, centre consoles, ventilation and handbrake lever, pedals and footrest in aluminium.

You don't have to worry about the necessary overtaking prestige either. The wide spoiler bumper of the body-kit appears to virtually soak up the road with its U-shaped air inset, which houses a sporty mesh. In addition, Sportservice Lorinser will soon be offering a 4-pipe exhaust system that cheekily protrudes out of the well-proportioned rear bumper and leaves no doubt that we're dealing here with a real little bundle of power.

On the other hand, an extremely muscular "back" is the optical identifying feature for the Lorinser wing extensions. A total of 55 millimetres of width increase create space for giant 8.5×17 aluminium rims with tyre size 225/35R17 on the powered rear axle. In the front it is 7×17 inches and 205/40R17. The Speedy design with the six spade-shaped spokes is a real eye-catcher that signals distinct dynamics even when at a standstill. No empty promise, as the Fortwo allows high curve speeds thanks to the wide tyres. All that's left is the question to the pursuers: who's getting Shorty?

[Lorinser]

Paris - at the Paris Motor Show 2008 smart is presenting the latest generation smart fortwo with electric drive to an international audience for the first time. In future, the advantages of the smart fortwo electric drive, which produces no local emissions, will be demonstrated in everyday service in the project "e-mobility Berlin" which Daimler AG presented together with the energy provider RWE at the beginning of September 2008. This project underlines the pioneering role of the young car brand in developing environmentally friendly and sustainable concepts for the individual mobility of the future. The current models already boast low fuel consumption and minimum carbon dioxide emissions. The smart model range includes the CO2 world champion, the smart fortwo cdi, with CO2 emissions of just 88 g/km – the lowest figure of any production car worldwide. Moreover, since October 2008 the two petrol smart fortwo models with 52 kW/71 bhp and 45 kW/61 bhp engines have been equipped with an intelligent and user-friendly start/stop system which further reduces their fuel consumption. The two-seater car is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year and its unique concept has now become firmly established. Thanks to new ideas and a design that combines functionality with joie de vivre, the smart fortwo has become a cult car. Since the launch of the first model in 1998, more than a million models of the two-seater car have been produced. Today it is on sale in 37 countries around the world - including the USA since January 2008. From mid 2009 the smart fortwo will also be available in China. The smart fortwo therefore already has an impressive track record on its way to a green future.
Since 1998 economical cars from smart have offered innovative solutions to the great challenge of our time: how can individual mobility be made environ-mentally sound and sustainable in future? The latest generation smart fortwo electric drive provides a new possible answer to this question as electric drive is quiet, highly efficient and produces no local emissions.
100 electric smarts in everyday service in London since 2007
At the end of 2007 smart leased 100 electric smarts of the old series to be used in a pilot project in Londonin order to gain real-world experience with electric drive. Customers gave very encouraging feedback on the zero emission cars that were still equipped with conventional batteries. And the authorities in the English capital reward this commitment to electricity by exempting drivers of electric smarts from the expensive Londoncongestion charge.
"e-mobility Berlin" – smart fortwo ed to be equipped with a lithium-ion battery in future
smart is consistently working on the further development of electrically driven vehicles. With the support of the German government and the state of Berlin, at the beginning of September 2008 Daimler AG and the energy provider RWE presented the project "e-mobility Berlin". This is the largest initiative in this field to date, and the two companies aim to jointly create the conditions for zero emission motoring with battery electric drives. RWE is providing 500 electricity charging stations and Daimler is contributing 100 electric cars. The aim is to create an intelligent overall system.
Dr. Dieter Zetsche, President and CEO of Daimler AG says "As the capital and Germany's largest city, Berlinis the right place for this project. The future will see an ever-increasing proportion of traffic on the roads in urban centres around the world. Zero-emission electric cars could shape the image of environmentally aware cities because zero local emission motoring is no longer science fiction – and also when seen as a whole emissions will be further reduced as the proportion of "green" electricity increases. The future of mobility is green. We invented the car – and we will do it again!"
Daimler AG, the parent company of the cult smart brand, has been working hard to develop solutions for the important challenges presented by battery electric driven cars for years. These are the range and charging times, but also the charging station infrastructure, the additional energy requirement and, of course, the costs.
smart is presenting important solutions in Berlin. The latest smart fortwo ed series will be equipped with state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion technology has decisive advantages over other types of batteries, including extremely compact dimensions, much higher performance, shorter charging times, a long life and high reliability.
Moreover, an "on-board unit" is being developed for the project "e-mobility Berlin" which communicates with the charging station. Among other things, this will contribute to ensuring that the battery is automatically charged with low-priced electricity when the network is not used to full capacity, for example at off-peak times. Or when more electricity is available from alternative energy sources than is needed at this point in time. This benefits the environment and offers customers real savings.
The development and tuning of the components needed are already well underway. At the beginning of next year the system will initially undergo internal testing and optimisation. Small series production of the electric two-seater will start at the end of 2009 and smart will then deliver the first vehicles to selected customers.
Success story – ten years of the smart fortwo
As early as the early 1970s developers at Mercedes-Benz started working on the "car of the future" and considering new revolutionary approaches that eventually led to the concept of an ultra-compact car two and a half metres long. Several years passed until the pioneering safety concept was developed that allowed the high level of safety typical of Mercedes to be realised in an extremely short car.
In 1989 Nicolas G. Hayek, the inventor of the Swatch watch, announced plans to launch a small city car on the market. To realise this idea Nicolas Hayek turned to Mercedes-Benz as an experienced partner. Together, both partners founded Micro Compact Car AG with headquarters in Biel, Switzerland.
Finally, in 1997 the smart city coupé celebrated its world premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. Production and sales started in 1998. In the same year, smart became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler-Benz AG (now Daimler AG).
Ten years ago a car started to change our focus and our way of thinking and feeling: the smart. The name is a reference to the car's intelligence and attractiveness and the smart city coupé, later renamed smart fortwo, lived up to its name. It was new and excitingly different to conventional cars. This is because it was available solely as a two-seater – an extremely compact car barely longer than two and a half metres that could also fit in a parking space perpendicular to the flow of traffic if necessary. In addition, the smart was characterised by a new, sophisticated design language and showed that even a small car can be attractive, safe and grown-up.
Even then the two-seater smart provided a unique answer to many questions concerning individual urban mobility. For not only does it take up very little road and parking space, it also boasts impressively low fuel consumption and minimum carbon dioxide emissions. Nevertheless, it transports two people and their luggage to their destination very comfortably and with maximum safety.
smart – a passionately discussed idea
When sales of one of the world's most unusual production cars started in October 1998, the newcomer that was at variance with many prevalent ideas of how a car should be, immediately became a subject of passionate, and often controversial, discussion. Now, ten years later, the smart idea has long since taken hold. The intelligent two-seater has become a cult car. The weekly journal "Die Zeit" called the vehicle concept an "urban icon". The smart consistently implements technical innovations for the mobility of the future and also uses constructional details as design features.
smart stands for innovation, functionality and joie de vivre
As one of the youngest car makes, smart stands for innovation, functionality and joie de vivre. smart especially appeals to customers who seek new, intelligent and trend-setting solutions in the automotive sector. smart fortwo drivers can be categorized in terms of their attitude rather than their age, profession or gender. They are open-minded individuals who question the status quo and live life consciously. They opt for a smart fortwo because it is something special and because it sets them apart from the masses. And also because it is quite simply fun to drive.
Further models and series
In the following years the smart brand launched the sports cars smart roadster and smart roadster-coupé (2003) and the four-seater smart forfour (2004) on the market.
The innovative car brand has demonstrated its creative energy time and again with special vehicle models. These include the smart crossblade in 2002 that had neither doors, a roof nor a windscreen, and the smart crosstown show car in 2005 which was equipped with forward-looking hybrid drive.
Concentration on the smart fortwo
Following the decision to stop production of the smart roadster at the end of 2005 and of the smart forfour mid 2006, everything concentrated on the smart fortwo. Ten years after the first pilot production vehicles rolled off the production line, in 2007 the new smart fortwo was launched on the market. This model builds on the strengths of the visionary classic and further develops its virtues. Since 2007 smart has been fully integrated in the organisation of the Daimler business division Mercedes-Benz Cars, which also comprises the Mercedes-Benz, Maybach and AMG brands in addition to smart.
Already a classic
It is undisputed that the smart fortwo's unique character already makes it an automotive classic, despite its young years. As early as 2002 a smart fortwo was the only vehicle to be included in the permanent collection of the world-famous Museumof Modern Artin New Yorkwhilst still in series production as a "contemporary design classic of the last decade of the last century".
More than one million vehicles produced – the international cult car has become firmly established
After ten years on the market the smart fortwo can be proud of its achievements. Since the first model was launched in 1998, more than a million two-seater smarts have been produced. Whereas the smart fortwo was initially only offered for sale in Germanyand eight further European countries, today it is available in 37 countries worldwide - since January 2008 also in the USA. From mid 2009 the smart fortwo will also go on sale in Chinaas the car is practically tailor-made for the growing number of lifestyle-oriented small car customers in a country with numerous megacities . In China, too, fashion-conscious young people want an agile, trendy vehicle for their flexible urban lifestyles in order to set themselves apart from others.
The second generation continues the success story
The second generation of the smart fortwo has been on the market since the spring of 2007. It clearly continues the tradition of its predecessor and the fascinating smart story. The car continues to focus on the core brand values of innovation, functionality and joie de vivre – a kind of declaration of automotive independence for many smart drivers .
Anders Sundt Jensen, responsible for the smart brand says "The new fortwo is even more comfortable, agile, safe and environmentally friendly than its successful predecessor was. The new fortwo does not only appeal to smart fans as a lifestyle-oriented vehicle, but also on account of its unparalleled economy."
A trend-setting appearance with new ideas
The smart fortwo embodies a completely new, intelligent concept for automotive individuality and this is also reflected in its appearance with a fresh, young, modern yet sophisticated design language. Unusual ideas gave the two-seater its trend-setting appearance and enabled it to establish its own class. In the past ten years the smart has become an automotive icon and it combines extremely varied demands on function, aesthetics and safety technology to create something completely new.
The result is a bold design that confidently makes structural elements such as the tridion safety cell a significant part of the car's styling. There could hardly be a more eloquent expression of that most basic principle of design, that form must follow function.
A further feature is the mix of materials consistently realised in a production vehicle for the first time with a hard core (tridion) and a flexible and functional shell with thermoplastic bodypanels. In this way smart sets new trends and its shape alone gives it a likeable appearance whilst still being taken seriously.
Safety – a hard shell for the passengers
The smart fortwo is seen as a real trendsetter in terms of safety equipment in small cars. The tridion safety cell protects its occupants like the hard shell around a nut. In this way the smart fortwo meets the extremely strict standards of Mercedes-Benz Cars. Furthermore, it complies with the requirements of Euro-NCAP and US crash regulations.
The basic equipment of the smart fortwo includes full-size airbags for driver and passenger, belt tensioners and belt-force limiters. Head/thorax side airbags are available as an option. esp® also comes as standard; in many other small cars this is not even available for an additional charge. The esp® includes hill-start assist and the anti-lock braking system abs. A hydraulic brake assist function is also included in the standard spec.
The diesel version of the smart is the current CO2 champion
State-of-the-art compact three-cylinder petrol engines with a capacity of 999 cc are installed at the rear of the smart fortwo. In Western Europecustomers can currently choose from two naturally aspirated engine versions with mhd (micro hybrid drive technology) delivering 45 or 52 kW (61/71 bhp) respectively, and a supercharged turbo engine rated at 62 kW (84 bhp). A 72 kW (98 bhp) three-cylinder turbo engine is also at the heart of the smart fortwo BRABUS.
In addition, a diesel variant is available – the smart fortwo cdi – which is the world champion in low CO2 emissions. The 33 kW/45 bhp two-seater car consumes just 3.3 litres of fuel (NEDC) per 100 kilometres on average, which means that it can travel approximately 1000 kilometres without refuelling. This has been confirmed by the Italian car magazine " Quattroruote" which conducted a fuel consumption test over 1000 km between Romeand Salzburg. At just 88 grams per kilometre the smart fortwo cdi has the lowest CO2 emissions of a production car worldwide!
To further reduce the CO2 emissions of the petrol-driven models, both the 45 kW/61 bhp and the 52 kW/71 bhp smart fortwo variant come with mhd (micro hybrid drive) as standard in Europe. This intelligent and user-friendly start/stop system automatically shuts down the engine as soon as the car's speed falls below 8 km/h and the brake pedal is pressed. The engine starts again as soon as the driver releases the brake pedal. This further reduces the standard consumption and the average CO2 emissions.

Award-winning climate friendliness and economy Protection of the environment is an integral part of all the fields of activity of the smart brand. This does not only apply to the vehicle's operational period, but also to its development, production and later recycling. The internationally renowned "Öko-Trend" environmental institute has acknowledged the smart fortwo's top position in matters relating to environmental friendliness and awarded it the coveted environmental certificate for cars. Moreover, the smart fortwo has been awarded the "ÖkoGlobe" by one of Germany's largest insurance companies.

What's more, several renowned trade journals have certified the innovative two-seater's unparalleled economy and environmental friendliness. They came to the unanimous conclusion independently of one another: no other car is as cheap to run!

Press Release

We’d like to introduce you to a car that’s designed to bring a breath of fresh air to the streets: the refreshingly new smart electric vehicle – or smart ed, as we call it. It’s the natural product of smart’s unswerving commitment to the environment and innovation – not to mention fun. It isn’t available to buy just yet, but it isn’t a million miles off.

Think of a smart. Then think of an electric socket concealed behind what used to be the fuel cap. Picture the complete absence of exhaust fumes, so no CO2 emissions from the rear. Close your eyes and hear… no sound at all coming from the engine. Imagine no engine oil, no road tax, and no London congestion charge and you’ll start to get a sense of what really makes the new smart ed tick.

Powered solely by electricity, and chargeable from any three-pin socket the smart ed can achieve the equivalent of 300 mpg – that amounts to a saving of up to 80% in fuel costs over the already highly economical smart fortwo. The ev can travel up to 72 miles between charges, which typically take around 8 hours for a full charge – ideal for charging at work between your morning and evening commutes. If your journey takes you into the capital, you will find free electricity provided by some London boroughs, as well as free or discounted parking. With a top-up charge during the day, the smart ed’s daily range weighs in at 100 miles.

With that in mind, we’re running a market trial with selected blue chip companies who are happy to meet our requirements to power the cars using only renewable energy sources. When we say zero emissions, we really mean it! Among the partners already enrolled in the trial are Urban Splash, Islington and Coventry Councils, Foster & Partners, CarbonNeutral Company, EDF Energy and Amey.

What’s more, our ed hasn’t had to sacrifice any of the fortwo’s performance or class-leading equipment: expect the full complement of Mercedes-Benz safety features and a powerful Zytek electric motor, electronically-limited top speed of 60 mph. Once it’s up to speed (0-30mph in an impressive 6.5 seconds) the ed uses its tiny weight gain to deliver an exciting and stable drive.

So there you have it: a zero emission vehicle that is 100% smart; a car that will save money and the environment. Although the smart ed won’t be available to the public just yet, it’s definitely something we’re working on.

[Source: Daimler]