Autocar - First for car news and reviews

Mercedes-Benz is developing a highly flexible three-seat Smart.

The plans, revealed in a series of patent drawings over several weeks and seen by Autocar, underline Mercedes' determination to build on its limited line-up of dedicated city cars.

See the Smart patent drawings here

Mercedes is reacting to increased competition from Toyota in the form of the iQ and the impending ar...Read the full article

 if they did a 1.4 turbo petrol, 7 speed dual clutch manual, i would be interested. under 1000kgs and with about 150bhp. ideal.

 

Surprised more companies haven't adopted this three seat arrangement since the F1.  After all, how many times does and average person go out with four people in a car?

Autocar:

The plans ... underline Mercedes' determination to build on its limited line-up of dedicated city cars.

 

It's only four years ago that M-B took the decision to take the smart range down from a four- to a one-model line-up, ditching the forfour and the roadster / roadster-coupe, and cancelling the formore mini-SUV promised for 2006. This left just the fortwo - which, according to M-B, meant smart could concentrate on its core city-car business and start making a profit at last.

Now, all of a sudden, M-B is once again planning to expand the smart line-up and have a range of models on offer. Come on guys, make your minds up.

Just imagine if M-B had bitten the bullet back in 2005, kept the roadster alive (albeit with updates, extra power and a manual clutch) and got the formore onto the market - providing a smaller, more affordable alternative to the Ford Kugas of this world. The timing would have been perfect in both Europe and the USA, where the formore could have made the most of the current trend for SUV downsizing.

Sadly, though, M-B bottled it. And by only now realising that it needs more than just one model in the smart line-up, it has lost valuable time and potential sales. Four years ago, M-B's management made some dire decisions in terms of the future of smart - and perhaps they're now realising their mistakes?

Why don't they just manufacture the Mitsubishi i at the Smart factory as a Smart forfour? Or is this too logical, could see it reducing fortwo sales but there would be many more conquest as there seems to quite a large gap between the A and a fortwo.

The 'emphasis on safety' is presumably there for all the head-ons that are going to happen because the central driver couldn't see past the car in front properly when he overtook...... 

Welsh Wizard:

because the central driver couldn't see past the car in front properly when he overtook

Hmmm, if you can't see past the car in front properly you simply do not overtake. Even if you're driving a McLaren F1 (deliberate central driving position reference.)

No, (and being a driver you should know this) you drop back to afford you the view necessary to determine if it is safe to overtake. That applies wherever in the car the driver is sat.

I have often wondered why no company is doing a proper crossover. Uncharted territory I would think. BMW’s Clever project (a Carver lookalike) was aborted before it even took off. It’s the reason why I decided to introduce and design (to my opinion) the first proper crossover between a motorcycle and an automobile. It’s called the Space-Efficient Vehicle. It’s a semi three-wheel three-seater, and it will be way safer, more comfortable and more energy-efficient than the Smart Fortwo. Well, check it out at the website that’s mentioned hereby. http://www.michelinchallengedesign.com/MCD_2008/Site/mcd_gallery_2008/mcd_2008_gallery_d13.asp

They even made a Formore - look at this - http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3184/2336685395_d21fd7f2e2.jpg?v=0 I think Smart should expand again. Loved the Forfour and the Roadsters.

 I loved the Roadsters and it was a real shame they went outof production and didn't get honed to nearer perfection.

I like this idea of taking cues from supercars. I hope they fit it with scissor doors!

 

voyager12:

http://www.michelinchallengedesign.com/MCD_2008/Site/mcd_gallery_2008/mcd_2008_gallery_d13.asp

Just checked it out. Looks nice although there's a lot of accompanying ad agency/marketing fluff to wade through. Alas, no tech specs or how it works, just a pretty picture and obvious statements...

Aside from that, could be good if it cost no more than £10k. Can't see this happening if the chassis works like a Carver? If it doesn't work like a Carver how is this not going to suffer like a Reliant Robin going backwards. Oh and that lovely wraparound rear screen. Will that be strong enough when the 'car' flips over when reversing just a little too fast?

Well, no doubt it would be great for donuts in a small space but I really can't see that layout working too good technically speaking...

Hi! Thanx for the comment. Nope, no Carver-like, expensive 'Smarter-For-Three' what I suggested. Engineers have taken a look at it. It's actually simpler to realize than many would consider possible. Large diameter rims make sure that most of the mass will be situated below the wheel centers, particularly if equipped with batteries. Active damping and co-steering rear wheels (that's right, there are two rear wheels clustered together, one flat rear tire means that you are still able to continue your journey) ensure that the Space-Efficient Vehicle (SEV) will be more stable than any similar sized vehicle. Prices? Around Smart Fortwo (+20%) is my estimate. The cigar-like frame means that arc-shaped beams will be used all around. As you may know (the good old Romans already knew) that makes for a more rigid safety cage than a box-shaped frame. The three-seat layout I am using means that passenger heads cannot collide in case of side impacts.