When launches in a spring next year, Mercedes-Benz Smart Fortwo Electric Drive will be the most affordable production electric vehicle in the U.S market, due to its price of $25,000, before tax rebates. Smart USA, which is now part of Mercedes-Benz, will also be available as convertible version with a price tag of $28,000, and it will also arrive to the U.S. next spring.
“A signature characteristic of the Smart brand is its commitment not only to being green but to making people think differently about it,” said Tracey Matura, general manager of Smart in a statement. “Green can be fun. Green can be affordable. And a lot of us don’t really need a four-seater, or at least not for every trip.”
The new electric vehicles are modeled after the current smart fortwo models, which just recorded its all-time highest sales volume month under Mercedes-Benz USA with sales up 95% year-to-date. The new Smart model, which is five feet tall and five feet wide, will reportedly have the smallest footprint of any car being driven in the USA. It will contain the patented tridion safety cell, which works like a roll cage in a race car. Also, one more thing that will distinguished it from other vehicles on the market is infinitely customizable exterior (over 6,000 possible combinations).
New Smart fortwo Electric Drive will go from zero to 60 miles per hour in about 12 seconds. No word on range, but it will recharge from 20% to 80% of its lithium-ion battery’s capacity in less than four hours on a 240-volt socket.
Customers can now pre-register for a smart electric drive on the official smart USA website: http://www.smartusa.com/models/electric-drive/EV-pre-register.aspx
