Did you ever wonder how the smart vehicles came into existence?

By David McClelland

Late last year, smart announced that it would introduce a battery powered model.smart's fortwo electric drive vehicle, when its battery is fully charged, will have a range of 84 miles between charges and a range, in time, of 4 to 5 hours at city speeds. Just plug it in while parked in your garage between trips. smart will emphasize its "green" nature by painting it's exterior white with an electric green tridion cell color scheme. The interior will have electric green paint trim.

Worldwide, the idea for the smart has been around for 22 years. It began in Germany when Daimler-Benz was approached by Nicolas Hayek, the inventor of Swatch watches, who wanted to make a small car that would be fuel efficient, environmentally responsible and easy to park in small spaces. Daimler Benz agreed and the first Micro Compact Car development began in 1994. The first car was unveiled at the 1997 Frankfort Motor Show and went on sale the next year. The name "smart" came from Swatch, Mercedes and "art". For about two years before smart cars became available at dealerships, one could order one online to his or her specifications with a $99 refundable deposit, but usually had to wait for nearly a year for delivery.

The Penske Automotive Groupsmart believed that mobility begins in the mind and that "open the mind", which is imprinted on many of its shirts and caps, is a call to question the status quo, take a different angle and a fresh approach. The smart car is a concept that makes more efficient use of the ever deminishing space available in our towns and cities.

Recently, smart was been taken over by Mercedes-Benz USA and the transition is seamless for the customers. Check it out.