Smart Car History

In 1993 Daimler partnered with Swatch, a Swiss watchmaker, to create the Micro Compact Car AG company, with headquarters in Biel, Switzerland. The company later moved to Germany. The goal was to produce a funky "city car" that would be engineered by Daimler and designed by Swatch. The result certainly catches people's attention while driving down the road.

European Car

The Smart City-Coupe, a tiny car for only two passengers, was designed for use in the narrow streets of Europe's big cities. While Americans have historically favored larger cars, Europeans prefer much smaller cars like the Fiat and Mini-Cooper.

Innovation

The Smart Car was designed with fuel efficiency and ease of parking in mind. In theory, the Smart Car can be parked perpendicular to the curb in an urban parallel parking spot.

Safety

Despite its diminutive size, the Smart Car is quite safe. It employs the "tridion" safety cell, which is made from three layers of reinforced steel. It was designed to absorb energy in the event of a crash to protect the passengers. Its makers say the Smart Car can withstand crashes with much larger vehicles.

Popularity

The Smart Car debuted in 1998 in nine European countries and was instantly popular, leading to an expansion in models offered. The Roadster and Roadster-Coupe came out in 2003, followed by the Forfour Sedan in 2004. The new models did not do as well as expected, and Daimler considered discontinuing the brand entirely.

Rebirth

Instead, Daimler refocused on the original City-Coupe, which had been renamed Fortwo. In 2006 a new model, slightly larger in size, was introduced and took the world by storm. New safety features and a redesigned transmission helped boost sales in 36 countries.

American Debut

With skyrocketing fuel costs, the Smart Car was introduced in the United States in 2006. Looking for ways to cut costs, Americans began buying smaller, more fuel-efficient cars and hybrids. While the Smart Car is still considered a novelty in this country, sales are growing.

Current Models

The Smart Car comes in several different models today, including the Fortwo Pure, the sporty Fortwo Passion Coupe which features a "panorama roof" and the Fortwo Passion Cabriolet, a convertible option. There are also two BRABUS models with luxury trim options such as leather, stainless steel and brushed aluminum. The Smart Car is available in six colors: black, red and beige are base colors, and metallic blue, gray or silver are available for an additional cost. The tridion safety cell, visible on the outside of the car, comes in black but can be upgraded to silver.