Video link. smart for two. Enjoy!

A local college in the Sudbury area got a 451 as a mascot and made a cute little commercial with it. Thought the rest of the community would find it as good as I did.

http://www.borealc.on.ca/module/popup_yout..._id=ybvXBHLUIDg

Posted by Village Green

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Dear Ford Company,

I grew up in a Ford family. No, none of the adults worked for Ford, but they faithfully purchased Ford vehicles decade after decade. We grew up riding around in Ford trucks, station wagons and sedans, in Falcons, Fairlanes and Festivas. In the late 60s, we gave in to peer pressure for a time and got a VW microbus, which was really fun to ride around in. After the bus, my folks moved into the reliable and very economical VW Rabbit mode for many years, driving his and her models to work day in and day out. But eventually they went back to buying Fords. They always went for the modest models (Fiesta, Focus) -- no fancy stuff, just a good solid car that would last a good long time.

When it came time for me to buy my first vehicle, my folks recommended going to their dealership, Wadsworth Ford. There I found a barely used Ford Ranger, which seemed at the time to be the perfect vehicle for my life as a theatre teacher. I have not driven it to death, and it just made it over the 100K mark over a year ago. It has had all needed repairs and regular attention to all lubricating and other essential maintenance. The factory-installed battery lasted for 12 years! So Ford, your 1994 Ford Ranger was a good choice and a solid, relatively hassle-free choice.

Times change, though, and now you couldn't pay me to take on another Ford truck, or any kind of truck for that matter (for a look at 2009 truck & SUV fuel efficiency look here). My major hauling days are in the past. I'm looking to downsize my life and my global footprint.

What does Ford have to offer me now? The Ford Focus is the current economy class car, and it has the highest MPG of any current Ford. Yet it seats five and is too much car for my needs. And it is a low seating vehicle. The best thing about driving the Ranger has been being up with a good aerial view of the road ahead and behind me. There is nothing on the Ford Focus page that indicates any concerns with environmental issues, such as the recyclability of components and the choice of materials and processes used in manufacturing the vehicle.

And that is why, Ford Company, I am breaking with the family tradition and purchasing a Smart ForTwo car. Yesterday, I visited the Bedford Smart dealership and test drove a new 2009 Smartie. Like everybody else who's actually entered a Smart car, I was amazed at how roomy it feels inside, even with a car salesperson riding along with me in the passenger car. And although short, the Smart forTwo has a relatively high seating arrangement. I didn't feel like I was driving a toy or a golf cart. I quickly got the hang of the automatic clutch versus paddle clutch options. The salesperson, when asked, said that keeping it in the automatic mode would be the most fuel efficient way to drive.

With the Smart car, it was love at first sight on a computer screen. That was the size and shape most suited for me. Mostly, it is me and my duffel bag traveling to and from work, and any shopping I do seldom fills the passenger side seat in my truck. When I drove the Smart car yesterday, I knew it was true love! I wanted to be driving that car home yesterday, but alas, I'm waiting for it to be built in France and shipped to NJ and finally to Bedford, Ohio sometime between April and June of 2009.

Sorry, Ford -- you forgot to think about my g-g-generation, a group that has a growing segment of singular people driving to and from work every day in cars that are way too big for our needs. Other segments of society are also attracted to the Smart cars -- they are very affordable classy looking and safe riding vehicles suitable for the young single people and as well as for the married folks with separate jobs in different direction. Great for retired people driving around town. And a lot safer than driving a golf cart. Check out the tridion safety cell construction below.

Success promotes competition, but alas -- the only competition for the Smart car is coming from overseas, not from Detroit. We are talking about Toyoyta's IQ, which may be available in the US by 2010.

I'm not comfortable with bailing out the US auto industry. Certainly not with the same old mindset of continuing to design big powerful expensive road hogs. Upper management needs to be replaced. And I'm getting pretty tired of hearing about so-called $70 per hour union auto workers being the ones to blame.

Like "left" versus "right", perhaps it is time to retire "workers" vs "management." I'd like to see a movement toward worker-owned corporations, with all employees having a say in what is being produced and how it is being made. No more blaming the other side -- if everybody doesn't agree on what is to be made, then the company deserves to fall apart.

Saving auto jobs should only be considered essential IF we make sure that the jobs are centered on creating affordable, safe, and green vehicles. And along with that, how about planning things so that all US citizens have the right to complete health care, preferably single-payer? There has to be a better way of dealing with pensions and funds that get depleted due to the deadly dance of capitalist market deep falls and other global perils. We need to find new ways to provide for our senior citizens so that we don't end up warehousing them in giant abandoned shopping malls. (Some locals suggest that Rolling Acres be turned into a retirement center!)

..................................
Source.

The Smart is a blast to drive. Is there some reason we're keeping this a secret?

For all the comments recorded so far, you'd think that the Smart is some kind of high-fashion Trabant, a crude auto-troglodyte dressed up in a snappy marketing campaign. But instead it's a city car for people who like cars.

You can tell that you're in something good as soon as you take a seat. The whole cabin is a masterpiece of ergonomics and style -- expansive field of view, superior driving position, supportive seat, great steering wheel and simple, intuitive controls. The Smart shows you what a horror of bad manga animation the cockpit of the Nissan GT-R really is.

Full Article


Someone who gets it!

From LesEchos.fr:

Smart accélère la cadence pour répondre à la demande
[ 07/11/08 - 08H05 - actualisé à 08:29:00 ]

L'attrait des modèles économes en carburant et le lancement de la Fortwo sur le marché américain redonnent le sourire aux salariés de l'usine de Hambach en Lorraine. Le site devrait produire 138.000 voitures en 2008 et presque autant l'an prochain.

Dans l'usine Smart de Hambach, l'ouvrier est affairé mais l'ambiance détendue : loin de la grise mine sévissant dans nombre d'entreprises automobiles, la filiale de Mercedes dispose d'un carnet de commandes bien garni. Le climat social est au beau fixe.

L'introduction de la citadine début 2008 aux Etats-Unis a accouché de résultats inespérés. Depuis janvier, plus de 20.000 "fortwo" - la nouvelle petite Smart vendue depuis un an - y ont été vendues, dont environ 2.250 en octobre, quand la marque a établi son record de ventes mensuelles. "On reçoit des courriers de clients américains nous disant qu'ils ont remplacé leur gros pick-up par deux Smart", sourit Marcus Nicolai, président de Smart France, interrogé par l'AFP.

Peu gourmande en essence, la Fortwo s'intègre d'après M. Nicolai parfaitement au marché américain, rapidement devenu le troisième plus gros de la marque, dans un contexte de "changement" marqué par une prise de conscience écologique et l'augmentation du prix du pétrole. L'impact sur la production est saisissant. Alors que 102.000 véhicules avaient été produits à Hambach en 2007, ce total était atteint dès septembre 2008, selon la direction. L'objectif de 127.000 voitures pour cette année a été rallongé de 11.000 unités, 28% du tout étant exporté aux Etats-Unis, de source syndicale.

"Le succès du marché américain fait partie de la nouvelle euphorie de la marque", se réjouit Marcus Nicolai. Les commandes affluent tellement que la production envisagée pour 2009 (135.500) a déjà été revue à la hausse de 3.500 automobiles, selon une autre source syndicale. Pour parvenir à ces résultats, un accord d'entreprise a été signé mercredi avec les cinq syndicats présents à Hambach, aux mots d'ordre éloquents: "qualité, conditions de travail, productivité", rapporte M. Nicolai.

Les chaînes de montage automatisées de Smart, où des ouvriers assemblent morceau par morceau la fortwo dans une ambiance étonnamment peu bruyante - la musique diffusée est audible la plupart du temps, a constaté un journaliste de l'AFP - seront accélérées, pour que plus de voitures soient produites en autant de temps. Chaque "coéquipier" devra consacrer 1 minute et 25 secondes à chaque auto, contre 1'28 aujourd'hui, avec "une dizaine de secondes pour souffler", explique Abdelhamid Ghermi, délégué syndical CGT. En contrepartie, les 828 salariés de Smart ne travailleront pas de nuit ni le dimanche, parfois le samedi, et gagneront 3,6% de plus, soit 70 euros supplémentaires au minimum, poursuit-il.

"C'est la troisième augmentation en deux ans. Dorénavant, chaque ouvrier de Smart gagne au moins 1.500 euros brut", souligne M. Ghermi. La direction s'est en outre engagée à embaucher 10 à 15 personnes les années suivantes, dit-il, quand 22 intérimaires ont déjà été intégrés en 2008.

Alors que "tous les voyants sont au vert", d'après Marcus Nicolai, Smart prévoit en outre de s'implanter en Chine et au Brésil dès 2009. Le chômage technique, en vogue dans de nombreuses automobiles hexagonales, est plus éloigné que jamais d'Hambach. "On a beaucoup de chance", convient Abdelhamid Ghermi. "Et si ça va bien chez nous, ça va aussi bien chez nos sous-traitants", au nombre d'un millier sur le site mosellan, rappelle le délégué CGT.

original source

I will translate this in the evening when I have some time.

Courtesy of Daimler Media Services
Starting in April 2009, the smart fortwo will be available in Brazil. This was announced by the company at the São Paulo Auto Show, where the two-seater celebrated its public debut. Thus, the smart brand is entering another automotive market following its successful launch in the USA. The small car combines modern technology, the highest levels of quality and safety, exemplary fuel efficiency and low CO2 emissions with a unique spatial concept that offers a host of benefits, particularly in dense city traffic. Over one million of the two-seaters have been produced since the introduction of the first generation in 1998.
Anders-Sundt Jensen, Head of Brand Management at smart comments, “The smart fortwo is a real success story - it is winning over customers in 37 markets throughout the world. We are certain that the agile two-seater possesses the ideal prerequisites to inspire lifestyle-oriented customers in Brazil’s urban centres, starting with São Paulo. The upscale and fuel-efficient fortwo boasts not only exemplary safety equipment and distinctive smart design, but also typical smart quality and reliability.”

The smart fortwo in Brazil
An average of six million vehicles are on the streets of São Paulo, a city of ten million inhabitants. Every day, around 1,000 new vehicles are registered in São Paulo. These are ideal conditions for an innovative, fuel-efficient and agile vehicle for urban lifestyles such as the smart fortwo. In Brazil, too, there has been a significant rise in environmental awareness among the population. Against the backdrop of this development, Mercedes-Benz Cars decided to introduce the clever two-seater onto the Brazilian market in April 2009. At only a little over 2.5 metres, it even fits sideways into parking spaces. Yet it also transports two people and their luggage in comfort and safety, while remaining environmentally-friendly with low fuel consumption and exemplary low CO2 emissions.

The smart fortwo also fulfils the demands set for larger Mercedes-Benz vehicles. These include the highest levels of quality and reliability, exceptional safety and economical and environmentally-friendly driving combined with comfort and agility. Furthermore, the smart fortwo also sets itself apart with its innovative design, with which the brand embarked upon an all-new, unique path and with which the smart has now attained cult status.

Smart success story
Now, after ten years on the market, the smart fortwo can report impressive performance. Since the introduction of the first generation in 1998, nearly one million of the smart fortwo have been delivered to customers. In the beginning of September, smart celebrated its anniversary: over one million of the two-seaters have been produced since the introduction of the first generation in 1998. Having initially been offered only in Germany and eight other European countries, it is now available in 37 countries worldwide - including the USA since January 2008. Since the beginning of the year, 20,000 of the smart fortwo have been delivered to customers there. Starting mid-2009, the smart fortwo will also be available in China, where the car is virtually tailor-made for the increasing number of lifestyle-oriented micro-car customers in a country with a large number of major cities.

As one of the youngest car brands, smart stands for innovation, functionality and vitality. Above all, smart appeals to customers that are seeking new, forward-looking and intelligent solutions within the automobile sector. Smart fortwo drivers are defined more by their attitude than by their age, profession or gender. They are open-minded, they question conventional wisdom and are in-touch. They choose the smart fortwo because it is special and because it sets them apart from the masses. And most certainly - because it is fun.