World premiere of the smart for-us at the
Detroit Motor Show
Detroit - smart is turning the automotive
world upside down once again and challenging ideas about what an urban
pickup should look like. In a tongue-in-cheek manner the for-us signals
that this is the right car for the young and young-at-heart with active
lives who attach importance to low emissions and taking up minimum road
space. The smart for-us translates the practical loading concept of a
pickup to the reality of 21st century urban traffic for the first time.
With its exterior dimensions
(length/width/height: 3547/1506/1701 mm) it could almost go unnoticed on
the loading area of a typical pickup, and it is also anything but
ordinary under the body. Thanks to the state-of-the-art electric drive
with a55 kW magneto-electric motor the zero-emission smart for-us is
agile and lively to drive. It will celebrate its world premiere at the
North American International Auto Show in Detroit (14 - 22 January
2012).
smart CEO Dr. Annette Winkler says "We at
smart love pick-ups – if they are small on the outside, large on the
inside, very safe and extremely comfortable. With the smart for-us a
petrol station is no longer required!”
Like car2go, the globally successful car
sharing initiative from smart for more flexibility in city traffic, the
smart for-us is a mobility concept. It has plenty of room for two people
and space for two smart ebikes behind them. Thanks to the docking
station on the cargo area of the smart for-us their batteries are always
charged and they enable smart for-us drivers to also reach destinations
that are out of bounds for cars – for example traffic-calmed zones in
the city or isolated park trails.
Compared with the series-produced fortwo
the smart for-us makes a powerful statement and its appearance plays
with the martial image of conventional mega-pickups. Nevertheless, it
greets the viewer with a friendly yet assertive face. It features convex
and sensuously shaped body surfaces. The large brand emblem is proudly
sported on the grille, and the front has a pronounced three-dimensional
design with an underride guard finishing off the lower part of the front
end.
The longer wheelbase (2480 mm/plus 613 mm)
and the track that has been widened by 50 mm on each side also emphasise
the robust look of the study. At the same time the extremely short
overhangs at the front and rear make it exceedingly compact. The
tailboard at the rear of the smart for-us is electrically driven. When
it opens first of all the cargo floor including tailboard retracts by
280 mm, then the tailgate slides down in a parallel position. The cargo
on the 900 mm cargo area is then extremely easy to access.
Stylish, uncomplicated, highly functional
and easy to individualise – the two seats in the concept car are
typically smart. The seat shells, which are open in the middle, are
covered with a soft yellow fabric throw giving them a hammock-like
seating feel.
The electric drive of the smart for-us is
based on the innovative drive concept of the smart fortwo electric
drive, which will be launched from the spring of 2012. Thanks to the 55
kW magneto-electric motor the smart for-us is agile and lively to drive.
With 130 Newton metres of torque it boasts powerful, lag-free
acceleration and it can overtake other vehicles with the greatest of
ease. The maximum speed exceeds 120 km/h. The lithium-ion battery has
capacity of 17.6 kWh.
