Daimler and Geely-owned small car specialist Smart has released sketches of an upcoming all-electric compact SUV, which it says will be introduced for the European market by the end of 2023. The yet-to-be-named model – slated for reveal in concept form at the Munich motor show in September this year – will be underpinned by Geely’s all-new SEA dedicated electric architecture...
Daimler has revealed the Smart EQ family, including the Fortwo, Fortwo Cabrio and Forfour, ahead of their public debut at the Frankfurt motor show next week. The German group's city car division is embracing its all-electric future, with the entire range relying solely on battery power...
A sketch previewing the updated electric-only Smart ForTwo has been unveiled ahead of the car's debut at 2019 Frankfurt motor show, which kicks off in the middle of September. To mark the transition to an all-electric lineup the Smart ForTwo and ForFour models will be given a facelift...
Smart has revealed the Final Collector's Edition based on its ForTwo city car, marking the last run of combustion-powered vehicles for the micro car specialist before it switches to full e-mobility. Just 21 examples of these special editions will be produced, developed in collaboration with industrial designer, Konstantin Grcic...
Daimler has confirmed Smart will leave the US and Canadian markets by the end of the 2019, but the automaker will continue to provide support for existing cars through its Mercedes-Benz dealership network. The German automaker told TechCrunch, "After much careful consideration, Smart will discontinue its battery-electric Smart EQ ForTwo model in the US and Canadian markets at the conclusion of MY2019"...
Daimler and Geely have agreed to form a joint venture company to run Smart, with each firm owning 50 per cent and having three seats on the board of directors. As was planned before today's announcement, Smart will become an all-electric brand from 2020 onwards. It will also continue to focus on inner city-friendly vehicles, although the "product portfolio is also planned to be extended into the fast-growing B-segment"...
Three sources have told The Financial Times Daimler, owner of Mercedes-Benz, is close to selling a 50 per cent stake in the Smart brand to Chinese automaker Geely. A deal could be announced as soon as the Shanghai motor show, which takes place in the middle of April. If the sale goes ahead, it would fit both Smart's future vision for itself and Geely's acquisitive streak...
A report from Handelsblatt states Daimler, owner of the Mercedes-Benz and Smart marques, will decide the fate of the city car brand by the end of the year. The decisive moves will take place from May onwards, when Ola Kallenius, currently Daimler's head of research and development, takes over from Dieter Zetsche...
BMW and Mercedes-Benz are the second pair of automakers to confirm a partnership this week, after Ford and Volkswagen announced they will work together on utes and vans. The companies announced their intent to combine mobility divisions last year, but approval from anti-trust regulators has only just come through...
Mercedes-Benz has ordered €20 billion ($31 billion) worth of lithium-ion battery cells, which will see the company through until 2030. The German automaker expects battery-electric vehicles to account for between 15 and 25 per cent of its annual sales by 2025. To put that into context, the company sold a total of 3.3 million vehicles in 2017...
Smart will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2018 Paris motor show with the drop-top ForEase concept. Following in the footsteps of the crossblade and forspeed, the concept aims to offer passengers a "liberated and pure driving experience" by turfing the roof. There's no folding soft- or hard-top, it's just an old-fashioned speedster...
