Smart Fortwo

The Smart Fortwo is a rear-engined two-seater car manufactured by Smart GmbH and introduced at the 1998 Paris Motor Show. Initially named the Smart City Coupe, the fortwo has now entered its second generation, and in 2008, an all electric concept version of the model, the fortwo ed, debuted.

The smart features an automated manual transmission without a clutch pedal, 6-speed for the first generation, 5-speed for the second. Input from floor-mounted shifter or optional steering wheel-mounted paddles controls a servo-operated clutch and sequential automated gearbox. The vehicle may be driven in automatic mode, though the shift points are not as smooth as in a traditional automatic transmission. In paddle shifter mode, the operator controls the shift points but cannot feather or adjust the speed of the clutch. Thus some skill, and a slight lifting of the accelerator pedal, is required to achieve a smooth shift.

In 2009 Smart issues Smart 2.0, which is an upgrade to the ECU free of charge. This allows gear changes in 'Automatic' to be smoother and faster. This was done to 2008 Smarts, along with a new battery in certain vehicles only, as the 2009 and onwards Smarts already have it installed at the factory.[citation needed]

The smart car allows back-in parking in otherwise parallel parking zones; its length of 250 cm (98.4 in) equals the width of a truck or a regular parking slot, allowing two or three Smarts to park in a standard space reserved for a single car. However, this type of parking has been banned in Munich, Germany, amongst other places. Such parking in parallel-designated spaces is illegal in most U.S.A jurisdictions.[citation needed] Current model is 269 cm (106.1 Inches).