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[Problemchild]

ooOOooo!

Now I'm interested

JJ

[Unknown]

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/smart/fortwo/61522/fortwo-head-new-smart-family

Latest photochopped images and details of the new cars.

Basically same issues as before the fortwo will be a solely smart developed car and the forfour and SUV will be a tie-in with Renault-Nissan. So I give the forfour two years in production, hatred from fortwo owners - 'It's not a smart! - and the SUV will be crushed before it reaches the showrooms. lol

In all seriousness i feel the smart brand has had its day now, with VAG offering 3 city cars under different banners as 3 and 5 door variants and in terms of tech a lot of cars can now go for 80 to 100 mpg with zero tax.

[Problemchild]

Same images as posted up a few months back to which I replied.....

again - some very poor photoshopping.

standard fortwo with a fused front end and some smoothing

...and then some fixing points (behind front wheel arch) to make you think its not just photoshopped....... very amateur

and is a fortwo door handle really gonna be as big as a man's head ?? haha

JJ

If merc/smart really do go down this design route it's commercial suicide

JJ

[CrazyG]

If merc/smart really do go down this design route it's commercial suicide  

You can bet it will be...and the excuse Merc want to drop Smart
once n for all.   That's been the trouble all along, Merc view Smart
as either competition and/or cheap non Merc rubbish. Not enough
'kudos' to the Merc name behind it...more importantly, not enough
profit margin in the selling price or the servicing for them.

MB don't ask or listen to their customers....they decide what you get !
VW are the opposite...they listen, they care, they make models that
compete with each other as they know a sale of any of them is a sale
for the group. MB are too up-market and snobbish for their own good.

Anyway, I have a feeling the new ForFour (as and when it appears),
won't be big enough, be too city orientated, and will have a hell of a
battle with all of the following established cars...
Audi A1, VW Up and Polo (and all the VW group's similar models),
the Micra, the Corsa, the Fiesta/Ka, the Fiat 500, and so many others
of that size.
It's all too late....and typically, it will also be overpriced by MB.

[Unknown]

If merc/smart really do go down this design route it's commercial suicide  

You can bet it will be...and the excuse Merc want to drop Smart
once n for all.   That's been the trouble all along, Merc view Smart
as either competition and/or cheap non Merc rubbish. Not enough
'kudos' to the Merc name behind it...more importantly, not enough
profit margin in the selling price or the servicing for them.

MB don't ask or listen to their customers....they decide what you get !
VW are the opposite...they listen, they care, they make models that
compete with each other as they know a sale of any of them is a sale
for the group. MB are too up-market and snobbish for their own good.

Anyway, I have a feeling the new ForFour (as and when it appears),
won't be big enough, be too city orientated, and will have a hell of a
battle with all of the following established cars...
Audi A1, VW Up and Polo (and all the VW group's similar models),
the Micra, the Corsa, the Fiesta/Ka, the Fiat 500, and so many others
of that size.
It's all too late....and typically, it will also be overpriced by MB.

They won't have Ford to worry about for awhile. Ka is set to be axed next year as it doesn't meet the requirements of Ford's one market strategy, the current Ka doesn't meet US standards (emissions and safety), it's too European.

Like I said, why have a fortwo which is limited to two seats when you can have a top spec CitiGo from Skoda which can seat four and probably close to the fortwo's wheelbase. It comes down to badge snobbery now, VAG or smart? Hmm... VAG has a lot better and longer history of good cars.

[basilbrush]

Biggest obstacle to success for the new Forfour in my opinion is the rear engine layout. Most people are used to front wheel drive and would want a conventional layout. I remember the Hillman Imp I had in the seventies. It used to handle well, but I found the engine noise from the back disconcerting and the load space poor.
Once again the Fortwo community will shun it as well.

[mr singh]

the forfour will NEVER be accepted in the 'Smart' owners circle... for the reason being its not a 'true' smart as its based on something where as the fortwo isn't... its its own car with nothing else on the market based on it or it based on something else.

Mercedes had better sort the pricing out. if its too expensive then it will be a failure just like our forfour's. i speak to the parts lads at Mercedes of Leeds when i go down and they all say the same thing. the forfour was a great car but it was priced wrong.
i don't really care where the engine is placed just as long as the car looks good in my eyes... if it doesn't then unfortunately ill be buying another car and then locking my forfour away and having it as my pride and joy only to be driven on special occasions

[evilution]

I'll reserve judgement simply because it's not coming out this year so I doubt even smart are sure what the next cars will look like. None of these poor photoshopped pictures will look like the finished product for 2 reasons. They are hideous mashups of other cars like the mini plus they don't take any styling cues from the prototypes that smart actually showed last year.

it may be a photoshop job but they more often than not are close to the finished product.

So, in this case, No.

[kanapa1]

Hi

Here's a fantastic video about creation of new F4. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oziFMHavyes