Sunday, May 13, 2012

smart continues its mobility concept further: market launch for the smart escooter in 2014

PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart – smart will launch the escooter on the market in 2014. For smart, this is the next logical step in implementing its comprehensive concept for future urban mobility.

"The decision in favor of the escooter has been made," announced Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars, on the sidelines of the international dealer meeting in Davos, Switzerland. "With this step, we are adding a further important component to our smart mobility concept for urban mobility in the future," he added.

Back in 2010, smart unveiled a comprehensive portfolio of electric products for urban transport at the Paris Motor Show. In addition to the smart fortwo electric drive as a coupé and a convertible, it includes the smart ebike and the escooter. smart is now consistently turning this concept into reality: the smart fortwo electric drive will be launched on the market in summer 2012, and delivery to customers of the first ebikes is just beginning. The fully electric escooter will be premiered within the next two years. The design of the escooter study is being developed and refined further. With its many innovative and trendsetting features, the new product will be unmistakably a genuine smart. Just like the ebike, the escooter will also be available for customers who (as yet) have no driver's license for cars as a smart on two wheels.

"Anyone who thinks of urban mobility has to think of smart," says Dr. Annette Winkler, the head of smart. "We offer the perfect zero-emissions vehicle for every requirement, and with our products, electric travel is a lot of fun too."

A number of external studies and the awards that the brand has recently won illustrate how much the ideas from smart are in tune with today's demands for individual urban mobility.
"We are especially proud that the ebike received the red dot award, and that our comprehensive mobility concept won the 2012 iF product design award," Dr. Winkler added.

The judging panel for the red dot awards gave the coveted "best of the best" predicate to the series production version of the 2012 smart ebike. This year, the iF product design award, which has been internationally recognised since 1953, singled out the smart mobility concept, consisting of the smart electric drive, the smart ebike, and the smart escooter, as an excellent overall concept for urban mobility.