
To date more than 1.3 million Smart cars have left the French assembly plant.
Daimler AG started production today of the new Smart ForTwo electric vehicle built at the Hambach, France plant. An investment of €200 million was required to integrate the tiny EV into the production processes of the plant, which also builds gasoline versions.
Delivery in Germany starts in late summer; other markets – a total of more than 30 – will follow successively for the EV. Prices in Germany including 19% VAT start at €18,910 ($23,640) for the coupe and €22,000 for the convertible, plus €65 per month to rent the battery. Purchased without the battery, the coupe Smart EV is €23,680 or €26,770 for the convertible.
With its 55kW electric motor, the Smart EV accelerates from 0 – 60 km/h in 4.8 seconds, with a maximum speed of 125 km/h. The 17.6 kWh battery allows what is called an urban two-seater to travel approximately 145 kilometers in city traffic. The Smart is the product of several joint ventures including German companies Bosch (EM-motive) and Evonik (Deutsche ACCUmotive) and in what is perhaps swipe at the Opel Antera derived from the Chevrolet Volt, Daimler calls the EV the “first true European electric car.”
The Smart plant in Hambach was inaugurated in 1997 and has produced the ForTwo since 1998 – in its second generation since 2007. In 2011, more than 103,000 vehicles rolled off the production line. About 1,500 people work at the site – 800 employees at the plant itself and a further 700 at the seven local system partners. The one millionth ForTwo was built in September 2008, coinciding with the tenth birthday of the brand. To date more than 1.3 million vehicles have left the plant.
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About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.