smart Goes on Tour with New electric drive

MONTVALE, N.J., April 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- smart, the iconic microcar, hits the road on an eleven-city tour bringing the all-new smart electric drive to eco-minded urbanites across the country. Each stop on the tour offers an opportunity to drive the most affordable electric vehicle on the market, with an MSRP of $25,000 (additional federal, state and local subsidies may further reduce the cost of the car). The smart electric drive achieves 122 city MPGe, or miles per gallon gasoline equivalent.

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The eleven-city tour kicks off in a concept pop-up experience at Santa Monica Place in Los Angeles. This 10-day event takes place from April 19 to April 28 and will include surprise music performances by world-renowned recording artists, complimentary brunches prepared by celebrity chefs Chris Jacobsen and Lee Anne Wong from Bravo's Top Chef, trunk shows by local designers Winnie & Kat and Vokare, and more. 

The smart funtestdrive then rolls on to the following cities then rolls on to the following cities: Portland (May 2-3), San Francisco (May 11-12), San Diego (May 18-19), Dallas (May 25-26), Atlanta (June 1-2), Miami (June 8-9), Washington D.C. (June 15-16), Hoboken (June 22-23), Brooklyn (June 29-30) and Chicago (July 6-7). The tour details and city highlights can be found at www.smartcarfundrive.com.

smart highlights

In addition to getting behind the wheel of a unique cutting-edge electric vehicle, the tour showcases many of smart's attributes from its virtually unlimited customization options to its patented tridion safety cell technology, which acts like the roll-cage in a race car.

The heart smart safety is the tridion safety cell, which will be on display in each city. Made largely of high-strength steel, the rigid tridion safety cell is designed to distribute impact energy over the entire width of the car body and keep its occupants safe.

smart thinks green while saving you green

The smart electric drive is a zero-emission statement that further defines the spirit of smart, which has led the auto industry in urban mobility and energy conservation. Based on the iconic smart fortwo, and available in both coupe and cabriolet styles, the new generation smart fortwo electric drive has the smallest footprint of any car on U.S. roads today and represents a key step in sustainable transportation.

The smart electric drive coupe will retail at $25,000 and the cabriolet model will retail at $28,000 when both models go on sale in the U.S. in May 2013. Customers may also be eligible for federal tax credits (which run up to $7,500) or state/local tax credits, further reducing the cost.

all about smart

smart, a Daimler AG brand, has its U.S. headquarters in Montvale, New Jersey. The smart model-line consists of five fortwo models:  the pure coupe, passion coupe, passion cabriolet and all electric drive versions of the coupe and cabriolet. The all-new third generation electric drive arrives in May 2013. All smart models sold in the U.S. are covered by a four-year, 50,000-mile new vehicle limited warranty.

Classified as ultra-low emissions vehicles by the State of California Air Resources Board, smart models are just under nine feet long, 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide.  Despite their microcar exterior dimensions, smart vehicles are surprisingly roomy inside and have a full array of technological and safety features including the patented tridion safety cell which is designed to protect occupants in the event of a collision.  All smart vehicles, designed to be 85% recyclable and over 95% reclaimable, are produced in the environmentally oriented "smartville" factory in Hambach, France.  Additional information on smart can be found at www.smartusa.com.

SOURCE Mercedes-Benz USA