453 Live Reveal! July 16th 2014, 6:00 Pm Gmt

[Francesco 71]

Not yet.

[Huronlad 186]

Cabrio will be released at a later date. IIRC 2017 for the 453 ED.

[smartzuuk 167]

I like reading the love-hate reactions of some here! (Hi Francesco!) It means there is something happening that at least resembles 'interesting'. :)With at least one Subaru coming off lease in 2015, I am leaving the door wide open to the 453, although it may very well be 2016 before we can even get one.Francesco is right to say that the quirkiness that the 451 lost is now returning to some degree. As much as I loved the two pods, the ventilation output in the middle keeps a bit of the two pod look....As for the Nosebear moniker..... hmm..... hope that doesn't stick. Someone needs to pull up a picture of the dreadful rhino nose aftermarket thing-a-ma-bob that was available for the 450 at one point. THAT was a NosePIG!!! (Anyone remember that line? It's totally escaped me.)

[Duck 16]

My god, the forfour is embarrassing. It looks like some kind of Chinese clone. Of something bad to begin with.

Now that you've mentioned the rear pop-out windows, that's all I see. Puke puke puke!

Why does everyone have such a hard-on for having a hood that is less steep than the windshield these days? The whole appeal of maximizing interior volume revolves around the idea that you pop out the front (like the 450) with a windscreen that is steeper than the hood.

The tail lights are cute, I guess.

-Iain

Edited July 24, 2014 by Duck

[Duck 16]

Here's what I mean:

Old fortwo (450) - Notice how small the hood area is in relation to the interior volume

New fortwo (453) - Can that hood get any longer?!

[David_18 13]

Hoo, and look the buttom of thee tridion under the door....

[1983JZR3W 32]

Doesn't look like they took much time or effort to finish off the area under the tridion on the side. It looks very rough or prototype to me.

[Francesco 71]

It sure is an ungainly little car from most angles. And Dom is right, the powdercoat on the leading edge of the rear arches will get sandblasted off in very short order. Welcome to a world of rusty fortwos.

[jwight 117]

I'm sure its been asked but I haven't heard anything about a cabrio. Anybody hear anything?

453 cabrio rendering: http://m.autozeitung.de/sites/default/file...weisitzer-t.jpg

[MikeT 744]

The 450 is the classic shape, no doubt. That's one reason why it's my favourite. And in the MoMA! The 451 was already developing a proto-hood I remember the comments on that one back in 2007), which has reached a new size in the 453. I still like the 453, but the 450 looks WAY better and will always be my favourite.

[smart142 605]

FUTURE MODELS: Think smart for the future

BY MOTOR NEWS REPORTER, JULY 31 2014, 05:13

WHEN you think of a real city runabout, one of the first names that springs to mind could well be the Smart car. Ridiculed by many it was perhaps aimed more at crowded European cities than those in SA. It epitomised the notion of personal urban mobility in something that was at least more like a car than some of the other projects around the world. In Europe you see thousands of them, often crammed into spaces that we would normally assume are for motorbikes only.

New versions of the Fortwo and Forfour have been a long time coming but finally the company has revealed the latest generations and said they are heading to SA at the end of 2015 or early in 2016.

"No-one combines functionality and emotion as well as we do, as the inventors of individual urban mobility. The new smart Fortwo and Forfour adopt the proven concept while offering more of just about everything — more space, more colour, more equipment … and even more fun in the city. Only the vehicle length remains unique as ever, at 2.69m," says Smart boss Annette Winkler. "Our idea based on a total rethink of urban mobility has won through."

The hallmark rear engine concept is being offered for the first time in the four-seater Forfour as well. Drive power is supplied by state-of-the-art three-cylinder engines rated at 45kW, 52kW and 66kW, while power transmission is performed by a five-speed manual transmission or the Twinamic automatic dual clutch transmission.

"In the planning phase we were clear that we wanted to retain the rear engine for the new smart, so as to continue to exploit the vehicle’s strengths to the full in the city," explains Jörg Prigl, head of the product group Compact Cars at Mercedes-Benz. "On this basis, we then developed the new Fortwo and Forfour together with our partner, Renault."

"Despite increased safety requirements, we have managed to retain the smart Fortwo’s unique length of just 2.69m," adds Markus Riedel, head of development. "It shares its architecture with the new Forfour. We have tailored both of the vehicles to the needs of modern-day city traffic. My team is particularly proud of the turning circle, which sets a new benchmark at just 6.95m for the Fortwo."

"The design idiom is clear, purist and trendy and the hallmark smart attributes are being adopted into a new era. These attributes include the characteristic silhouette with the ultra-short overhangs, the clear lines and forms, the tridion cell and the updated smart face," adds Gorden Wagener, head of design at Daimler AG.

Both models offer a new front axle design adopting elements of the previous Mercedes-Benz C-Class, an optimised rear axle, substantially increased spring travel all round and tyres with higher side walls.

There will be three equipment lines (passion, prime and proxy) and a wealth of optional items, some of which were previously the reserve of higher segments. These include LED daytime driving lights, central locking with remote control, visual locking-verification signal and immobiliser, cruise control with limiter (variable speed limitation), exterior temperature indicator with frost warning, instrument cluster with monochrome LCD display and trip computer and electric windows in the front.

Depending on specification level, features include a leather multifunction steering wheel, an instrument cluster with 3.5-inch colour display and heated seats. The multimedia systems will include smartphone integration, real-time navigation and intuitive operation with touchscreen. For the first time the company will also offer a JBL sound system, which incorporates a six-channel DSP amplifier (240W) in the Fortwo and an eight-channel DSP amplifier (320W) on board the Forfour-door version. Eight (Fortwo) or 12 (Forfour) high-performance loudspeakers provide for outstanding listening pleasure.

..........................

Source.

[Huronlad 186]

Princing for Germany has been release but I am unable to find the article as this time.

[Huronlad 186]

Smart has announced the start of sales of the all-new ForTwo and ForFour in Germany, with the two city cars priced from €10,895 ($14,590) and €11,555 ($15,474), respectively.

More pricing on the new variants in the article.Pricing in Germany.

[darren 192]

Have they mentioned when these will be going into production? It seems most export markets aren't getting the new model until late 2015, but what about Europe? When does 451 production end?

[Huronlad 186]

Mike T may be able to chime in as he was just at the factory. 451 production will not stop until the 453 ED is produced.

[Kabrio 0]

Sorry but- yikes is that ugly. Can't wait to hear what Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May say about that thing.

[evotell 10]

The proof will be when you drive it.

Jury still out