Smart Canada

Smart
smart is a German company that gained international fame for producing uniquely-styled, highly-efficient microcars.

In the late 1980s, SMH (makers of the Swatch brand of watches) CEO Nicolas Hayek began working on an idea for a new urban car. He approached several automakers and reached an agreement with Volkswagen in 1991.


By 1993, Ferdinand Piëch immediately sought to terminate the ''Swatchmobile'' project since VW had already been developing their own three-litre car (3L/100km): the Lupo.

Hayek had suspected that Piëch would seek to end the agreement with SMH, so he discreetly began approaching other car companies. Rebuffed by BMW, Fiat, General Motors and Renault, he finally sealed a deal with Daimler-Benz (owner of Mercedes-Benz Cars) in 1994. The press conference also featured the debut of two concept cars: the eco-sprinter and eco-speedster.

The assembly plant of the smart city coupé – the brand's first production model – opened in late October 1997, with deliveries planned for March 1998. However, dynamic instability of the prototypes prompted Daimler-Benz to delay the launch until October 1998.

For two years, the city coupé was the lone model in the lineup. A convertible variant called city cabrio appeared on the market at the turn of the century. Both cars received cosmetic upgrades in 2002 before being renamed fortwo and fortwo cabrio in 2004.

The second generation made its debut three years later and continues to grace showrooms to this day. While relatively new to the game, smart did come up with a couple of special cars as well, including the roadster (2003-2005), forfour (2004-2006) and crossblade (2002).
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Smart Cars


  • Fortwo
    from $ 13,990


Smart Coverage

Latest Reviews

I Say
76%

Ok, now what?

There may be no other car on North American roads that gets slapped around with so much prejudice as the smart fortwo. That's a shame, because there is a lot to like about this minicar despite all the negative things the general public has to say about it.


I Say
71%

Stylish + Economical = smart

Growing up in suburban Calgary, AB I really didn't think the smart car would sell at all in this country. Who would even want something this small? How the heck would this thing do on icy roads and what if you got in an accident?!


I Say
72%
Reviews  |  Tuesday, July 27, 2010 by Luc Gagné

2011 smart fortwo First Impressions

The devilkin's in the details!

Düsseldorf, Germany - Since the introduction of smart in 1998, over 1.2 million of the motorized Lilliputians have been sold around the world. Just 1.2 million, you ask? Why, in 2005 alone, over 1.4 million Corollas rolled out of 16 Toyota assembly plants! So, congratulating oneself on selling almost as many smarts in over a decade can seem a tad arrogant.


Latest News

Industry  |  Thursday, January 19, 2012

VIDEO: smart for-us pickup concept unveiled in Detroit

If smart gets its way, pickup trucks will no longer be for farmers and campers in the near future. Enter the smart for-us pickup concept, presented at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show.


Industry  |  Wednesday, December 07, 2011

smart for-us pickup concept headed for Detroit

Really. The title holds no typos. smart is up to its old tricks again, redefining and even reinventing what small cars can be.


Industry  |  Tuesday, August 16, 2011

car2go hits Vancouver

They're smart, they're small and they're all over Vancouver. They're the 200-plus smart cars that make up Vancouver's car2go fleet. The car sharing co-op, already established in several urban settings around the world, launched its Vancouver operation in June.


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