World premiere of the smart fortwo cabrio: New smart products at the 2015 Frankfurt International Motor Show
09/15/2015
Smart
The new smart fortwo cabrio, a particularly iconic variant of the new model series, is celebrating its world premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. The second focus of smart's presentation at the Frankfurt show is the smart BRABUS tailor made individualisation programme.
Three cars in one: at the touch of a button the new smart fortwo cabrio is transformed from a closed two-seater into a car with a large sliding canvas sunroof, or a fully fledged cabriolet with the soft top completely open. This enables the fresh air driving experience to be adapted to the weather or the driver's mood. This flexibility offered by the "tritop" folding soft top and the removable roof bars is a special feature - and not just in this segment. At the same time, the new smart cabrio is the only "true" cabriolet in its vehicle class.
"Our new smart cabrio really exudes joie de vivre in the city - which is what our brand stands for", says Dr Annette Winkler, Head of smart. "I am sure that we will delight our 220,000 cabrio customers to date and win lots of new fans with this successful lifestyle icon."
The new cabrio will initially be available with two state-of-the-art three-cylinder engines rated at 52 kW/71 hp and 66 kW/90 hp. Both engines can be combined with the five-speed manual transmission or the fully automatic twinamic dual clutch transmission. The new smart cabrio will be available for ordering from mid-November. Prices will start at €14,305[1] and the first models will reach dealers in the spring of 2016.
Individualisation is one of smart's great strengths. smart BRABUS tailor made is correspondingly successful: launched five years ago, the individualisation programme has now become established throughout Europe and also in the USA and China. smart BRABUS tailor made is now also available for the new smart generation. At the Frankfurt International Motor Show, three customised smart fortwos, including the new cabrio, will provide an idea of the virtually endless possibilities available. Their special features include the matt "light blue" special paint finish and customised leather on the seats, dashboard and steering wheel rim with leather in black, seams in "light blue" and a honeycomb quilting seam pattern.
smart fortwo and smart forfour remain on track for success
Ten months after its market launch, the new smart family has already grown substantially: a choice of ten engine/transmission combinations is currently available for the smart fortwo and the smart forfour, including four variants with the twinamic dual clutch transmission which is unique in this segment. A whole host of fresh colours and new practical equipment features have been available for both model series since September. In addition, comprehensive smartphone integration is currently being introduced with MirrorLink(R).
smart's worldwide sales stood at 11,329 vehicles in June. This represents a 54.5% increase over the corresponding month in the previous year. In the first half of 2015 global sales stood at 62,164 vehicles - up by 32.8 percent compared with the first six months of 2014.
Further growth is expected from the current market launches in China and the USA. Just five years after the market launch, in 2014 China (including Hong Kong) had already become smart's second-largest market (after Germany and ahead of Italy) with almost 18,000 vehicles sold. The smart fortwo was launched in China at the beginning of August, and the forfour will follow in early 2016.
[1] Recommended retail price for Germany, incl. 19% VAT.