New smart for two brings intelligent fun to urban life

The much-anticipated All New smart fortwo launched in Hangzhou on Thursday, with a promise to bring China's trendsetters "new urban joy" embodied by a personalized and sustainable lifestyle.

Held at the eastern-coastal city's Dragon Sports Center, the event with the theme "For a new urban joy" celebrated the arrival of the All New smart fortwo 52kW Coupe Base and 52kW Coupe Passion variants that are on the market for 125,000 yuan ($20,142) and 136,000 yuan respectively.

The vehicle's powerful appeal continues what has been a strong year for the iconic brand, which has seen impressive success since it entered China in 2009.

"China has become smart's second-largest market, an achievement that fully demonstrates the agile smart's ability to meet the personalized urban mobility needs of the Chinese market," said Nicholas Speeks, president and CEO of Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service.

"In six short years, smart has won over 70,000 enthusiastic Chinese fans who love life, while simultaneously earning the admiration of a broader range of customers. Now, with the launch of the All New smart fortwo, we have once again delivered on our commitment to these consumers," he said.

The evening launch event attracted hundreds of smart fans and guests who took part in a vibrant celebration at the stadium, where a series of test drives were held along with an array of creative and interactive games.

The All New smart fortwo launch broke away from driving activities with a show and number of celebrities, including pop-star Han Geng and entertainer Xie Na.

"The new smart offers more of almost everything you already love about the current one," said Annette Winkler, global head of smart.

"This means more individuality and fashionable color options, more space and premium materials, and of course, more fun thanks to functionality and connectivity, as it integrates with your smartphone perfectly."

Gliding along the road, smart embodies the urban spirit and its compact and distinctive design and appearance offer urban mobility solutions to city residents who think outside the box, dare to try new things and, above all, have an unquenchable love for life, according to the automaker.

Shining features

The All New smart fortwo embodies smart features like agility, strong personality and style, which are the exact reasons why Winkler emphasized that the new smart is "truly special, a real icon".

Featuring a classic 2.69-meter long body encased within a tridion safety cell, the All New smart fortwo has undergone comprehensive evolution, resulting in a design that is more stylish and functional and redefines driving pleasure through enhanced agility, comfort and environmental friendliness.

It also features 10 centimeters of extra width compared to its predecessor, which works in tandem with the vehicle's outward-positioned wheel configuration to allow for a more spacious and comfortable interior space.

The interior continues to blend avant-garde style with energetic dynamism, with the instrument panel and central door panels inlaid with premium, finely textured fabrics inlaid with the smart forvision concept car's hallmark honeycomb design and a bold color scheme that meshes seamlessly with the exterior.

The new model features short front and rear overhangs and a large front wheel turning angle, which endows it with the smallest turning circle in its segment, 6.95 meters. This advancement has greatly improved the All New smart fortwo's handling experience, enabling the vehicle to move freely whether it is on a crowded street, narrow road or in a small parking space.

"Born for the city, smart has brought urban trendsetters a delightful way of life since first coming to China in 2009," said Duan Jianjun, executive vice-president at Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service.

Fashionable and personalized, the All New smart fortwo also offers more than 40 color options that bring more choices for its two-tone body, Duan added. "The All New smart fortwo comes with a comprehensive array of design and equipment upgrades."

Alongside the updated design, the All New smart also comes with enhanced performance. It is powered by a rear-mounted 3-cylinder and naturally aspirated engine that makes both the All New smart fortwo Base and Passion the only rear-wheel drive vehicles available in the segment, according to the automaker.

In addition, a 6-speed dual clutch twinamic transmission allows for smoother and more responsive handling.

In terms of intelligent drive, the vehicle is equipped with advanced driver assistance systems, such as Crosswind Assist and Rear Parking Assist. Passive safety features are also accounted for and an optional driver knee airbag feature and other configurations have been added to simultaneously enhance both safety and comfort.

This versatility will serve the vehicle well as it gears up for the "for a new urban joy" All New smart national roadshow, which will bring the intelligent, interesting and groundbreaking side of smart to cities such as Shanghai, Nanjing, and Xiamen, said the automaker.

"The word 'for' demonstrates a positive image. That means we do not complain about such things as traffic jams but try to offer a solution with our smart," said Kang Yi, director of smart operations in China.

"And joy means our smart is more than a car. We would like to offer our customers more fun as our customers are those who pursue a fashionable and convenient lifestyle, those who have a young heart despite their actual ages.

lifusheng@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/31/2015 page7)