Issue 1
June 2004
the columns that support thesmartclub web site Advance information – for you, fortwo, forfour, formore
As thesmartclub approaches its 4th Birthday in July 2004, we launch the first in a regular series of ‘news sheets’ providing you with an overview of forthcoming events, latest news and status updates on our key activities over the coming months. Detailed information on all the topics referred to can be found via our web site (www.thesmartclub.co.uk) and a range of contact email address is also available via the ‘Contact Us’ menu option on our main homepage. We hope that this additional information on forthcoming events and activities provides you with a 4site into ‘all things smart’ In this issue you have a 4site into:
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LATEST NEWS
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The Macmillan ‘Mile of smarts’ event Forthcoming events including Blackpool, the Scottish Rally, our Track & Drive Day and the London to Brighton Run Our Privilege Card Scheme New merchandise in our Online Shop New supplier products and services from third party companies A new service from the AA and your AA Privilege Card benefits
LATEST MAJOR EVENT INFORMATION Macmillan ‘Mile of smarts’ – 20th June
Supported by thesmartclub and nPower, the Macmillan Cancer Relief ‘mile of smarts’ event continues to attract applications each day. Full details and a Registration Form for this event are available via our main home page. Please ensure you Register prior to attending to speed up the admission process on the day. smart of Macclesfield are kindly providing their premises as an optional start venue and are providing further support to this event by holding a departure breakfast with light refreshments (coffee, bacon rolls etc) commencing 09:30hrs before heading off in convoy with the eagerly awaited smart forfour leading the way - departure time will be around 11:00hrs planning to arrive at Heaton Park at 12:00hrs (noon). Smart Macclesfield are also providing each car with a map of the route from Macclesfield to Heaton Park so there shouldn't be any stragglers. Although smart Macclesfield will be making no charge for the breakfast, they would appreciate a small donation that will go to Macmillan and in addition, Roadster pin badges will also be on sale at £1.00 each - again, all funds will go to Macmillan. The Macmillan event itself starts 12 noon (mid day) at Heaton Park, Manchester with an estimated finish time of 1700hrs.Macmillan has mailed sponsorship forms out but additional forms are also available for download via thesmartclub web site home page. Note that all participants should enter Heaton Park via the Grand Lodge Entrance – please abide by the Participation Rules and Conditions published by Macmillan for this event. You can register at http://www.macmillan.org.uk/news/news.asp?nid=1303 or you can register via thesmartclub website http://www.thesmartclub.co.uk. For those people who Register after Friday 11th June, you will be able to collect your participation labels at the event itself - this ensure that any postal delay risks are mitigated. Press and media will be present at this event.
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LATEST MAJOR EVENT INFORMATION Blackpool
Scottish Rally
Track/Drive Day
London to Brighton
1st August
15th August
12th September
Date to be advised
thesmartclub has again been invited by Lions International to participate in the annual Lions Carnival parade. As with previous years, smarts will form an integral part of the overall parade from start to finish.
We are delighted to announce that the inaugural Scottish smart Rally, run by John R Weir and smart of Perth and endorsed by thesmartclub, will take place on August 15th.
Back again for the 4th year at Bruntingthorpe Proving ground, Leicestershire, UK. A day where you can really get used to your car with no oncoming traffic, no speed cameras and plenty of wide-open spaces.
More good news we're equally delighted to announce that plans are progressing for a 2004 London to Brighton Rally in association with DaimlerChrysler/smart.
We will gather on the South Shore at 10:30hrs to 10:45hrs for the Parade- roads will be closed, but participants simply need to advise the police/officials and they will be let through. The Parade starts at 11:30hrs Groups of fortwo’s, Roadster’s and forfour’s will be sent off amongst the other groups participating in the parade. At the finish venue, we will display our cars behind the Metropole Hotel above the North Pier where the Parade Organisers have arranged music and other entertainment.
Full details of the event along with detail of how to enter will be launched during June. The event will involve a predefined route, will include a treasure hunt, lunch stop and have various prizes at the finish venue.
This rally is hoped to become the first in an annual series of Scottish smart Rallies, and is sure to be another 'must attend' event in 2004. Our thanks to John R Weir and smart of Perth for their hard work to date in planning this event.
It's much more than a 'fast car' event and this year, we'll have representation from third party companies in addition to formal representation from DaimlerChrysler/smart. The day will offer you virtually unlimited track time on the short and long circuits (over 50% more time than in previous years), ABS and handling area and a range of prizes and competitions - we also hope to have professional drivers from Mercedes present to provide participants with some fast runs in an impressive Mercedes vehicle more details later. Full details and application forms will be made available June 14th 2004 – ‘Red’ ticket with unlimited track and drive time is only £98.00 (assuming early payment) and you can even pay in instalments
As you will appreciate, there are a vast number of local authorities, police forces and organisations with which one has to liaise prior to running such an event and we hope to be in a position to announce the date on which the event will take place in the near future. Due to the popularity of this event (the 2003 event ranked as the world's largest single gathering of smart cars), arrangements and logistics are also being reviewed with regards to finish venue and arrangements. In addition, there will be increased presence from DaimlerChrysler /smart providing on site merchandise and facilities.
REGISTER LATE JUNE
REGISTER LATE JUNE
REGISTER JUNE 14 onwards
REGISTRATION DETAILS TO BE ADVISED
Press and media will be present at this event
Press and media will be present at this event
Press and media will be present at this event
Press and media will be present at this event
thesmartclub – the world’s largest independent club for smart car owners and enthusiasts
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ADDITIONAL NEWS AND INFORMATION thesmartclub Privilege Card
Our Online Shop
October 2003 saw thesmartclub launch its ‘Privilege Card’ offering our Members a range of discounts on servicing, parts and accessories from a number of smart dealers and independent companies.
Early June 2004 saw thesmartclub relaunch its first phase in a new line of branded club merchandise.
The scheme has been shown to be hugely popular and, as at the end of May 2004, we have 20 official smart centres in the UK offering discounts on smart car servicing and parts – we even have smart of Hertford and smart of Edinburgh smart centres offering discount on car sales. Our Online Shop also offers all Privilege Card holders a range of discounts on our entire club branded merchandise. In addition to these smart centre discounts, we have a range of third party companies offering you discounts of parts, accessories and services – participating companies include: The AA, Bantam Trailers, CTD (Germany), Demon Tweeks, Hi-Performance, Jetex, ‘naughtycartuning’, Smartsport exhausts, Smarts-R-us, Superchips, MSM Insurance and Hoverspeed. An additional range of companies will be joining the scheme throughout the year. Full details and an application form are available at our main homepage menu – apply for your Privilege Card now!
Some of our new products include a range of mugs, pens and key rings, through to stickers and badges to an increasing range of clothing and luggage. In addition, we are a reseller for ‘smartimes’ magazine. Additional items of branded merchandise will be launched in the Online Shop over the coming months and, where possible, a range of all our branded merchandise will also be available from thesmartclub marquee and stand at all Major Events throughout the year. Products are already being shipped around the world – if you have any special queries or requirements, you should contact our merchandise distribution team by emailing distribution@thesmartclub.co.uk
By thesmartclub moving away from selling specific parts and accessories for your smart, we can concentrate on supporting those companies dedicated to supplying such parts and, as shown opposite, the majority of these quality companies already participate on our Privilege Card scheme bringing you additional discounts. Remember, all our Privilege Card holders also benefit from discounts to all our branded merchandise in our Online Shop.
Forfour test-drives As you will no doubt have seen in your local Press and indeed, via our Newsflash banners on our site, a range of smart centres around the UK drove away in some LHD forfours from this year’s UK Motor Show at the NEC. It’s a great opportunity to arrange a test drive of the 1.1, 1.3 or 1.5 models. Our own test drive report of the forfour in Rome, complete with pictures, is available from our main home page. smart Edinburgh, Perth and others have cars available for test-drives now and Milton Keynes have just completed their forfour weekend. You should continue to check our ‘Dealership Events’ menu option (under Member Area) for additional events over the coming months.
Jim Grantham, Sales Manager smart of Edinburgh
thesmartclub – the world’s largest independent club for smart car owners and enthusiasts
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New AA promise keeps its Members on the move The AA is so confident in the ability of its patrol force to repair broken-down vehicles that it is now making a unique breakdown promise to its personal members – "to fix your car by the road or get you another one". The guarantee is being made for the first time to ensure that, if a quick roadside repair is not possible, AA members are still able to continue their journeys and keep on the move – with minimal fuss. No other organisation offers the reassurance of alternative transport, in the event of a breakdown, as standard. AA personal members could be offered one of 180 specially AA-branded smart cars located around the country, or the choice of another similarsized car with the opportunity to upgrade to a larger vehicle if required. Kerry Richardson, Director of AA Road Services says: "On those occasions where we can’t fix their faulty cars, we are determined to keep our members on the move. Providing personal members with a replacement vehicle will go a long way to removing the terrible stress and inconvenience that breaking down can bring. "In around 8 out of 10 of the 3.9 million breakdowns we attend each year, we are able to get our members on the road and moving again thanks to the resourcefulness of our highly-skilled patrol force. This new benefit will come to the rescue of those for whom a quick repair might not always be possible." AA personal members will be offered this flexible 24-hour service if their cars cannot be fixed, allowing them to either collect a courtesy car following a breakdown, or within 72 hours, at their convenience. During normal working hours* the attending patrol will recover the member to the nearest Europcar depot to collect the courtesy car. Outside these hours members will be free to make their own way to the nearest Europcar depot. This is the latest in a series of continuous innovations and investments to improve the services to AA members. The AA’s 3,500 patrols – the largest liveried force in the UK – have vehicles equipped with the latest route guidance units, which use satellite technology to locate members whose vehicles have broken down. The last word in state-of-the-art technology has also been used to provide each patrol with robust laptop units, specially designed by the AA, called VIxEN (Vehicle Information crossed with Electronic Notebook) – enabling them to diagnose a car’s faults through blue-tooth technology, at the roadside. Remember that the AA also offer thesmartclub Privilege Card holders 15% discount plus a range of additional benefits including: - No joining forms - Dedicated 08705 number to call - Caravan and trailer recovery - Off road recovery - Paddock and Pit Area recovery - Up to 8 passengers (including Member) are covered - No minimum age limit on Membership - No age limit on vehicles - Puncture assistance See our Privilege Card benefits screen for full details. * Europcar depots are open 8am-7pm Monday to Friday and from 8am to 1pm on a Saturday. Closed Sunday and Bank Holidays.
thesmartclub – the world’s largest independent club for smart car owners and enthusiasts
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SmartsRus and smart Nottingham June 2004 sees SmartsRus and smart Nottingham present the EVIL TWIN product range. Full details of the services available under this initiative are available via thesmartclub web site by clicking on the SmartsRus/Evil Twin link on our home page or via the link under the Dealer Cars. The SmartsRus EVIL TWIN cars have featured in a range of media and press articles in recent months and the their extensive range offers a comprehensive choice of options with which to “individualise” your new Smart. Mercedes Nottingham offers EVIL TWIN options including “Custom Line” & “Exclusive Line” paints, elegantly styled interior trim packs, and handcrafted luxury leather interiors. All the EVIL TWIN Roadsters are colour keyed to match either the panels, the Tridion cell or if you so desire, the colour of your choice. Both SmartsRus and smart Nottingham are pleased to participate in thesmartclub Privilege Card scheme and the relevant details can be found under our Privilege Card menu option. New and Used smarts plus 3rd party services
Menu Changes
Smart Sheets
An increasing number of smart dealerships and third party companies are promoting their stocks of new and used smart cars via the ‘Dealer Cars’ option on our Menu – this is in addition to the ‘Mercsearch’ facility.
Some minor changes are being made to our Menu Selection from our home page over the coming weeks.
A range of our ‘smart sheets’ are available in our Member Area – these sheets act as a ‘DIY guide for a number of topics on smart fortwo and Roadster models. If you are about to carry out a DIY job on your smart that is not already covered by a ‘smart sheet’ article but which you feel could benefit other Members, why not take a few notes and a picture or two and send them to us
Lists are updated on a fortnightly basis and both smart Edinburgh and smart Hertford are offering additional benefits to Privilege Card holders. As new dealerships and third party companies provide us with details, these will be catered for under this ‘Dealer Cars’ menu option. A link to the smart dealership location facility (courtesy of DaimlerChrysler/smart) is included under this menu option in addition to being shown on our main home page.
These changes will enable you to access the information you require with minimum effort and also ensure your ‘Member Login’ process is simplified.
Every published sheet receives a £12.00 credit against items ordered in our Online Shop.
Contacts Full contact details for thesmartclub team are shown under the ‘Contact Us’ Menu Option on our main home page together with background details for thesmartclub. ‘4site’ is a publication of thesmartclub and is published to support information and services contained on thesmartclub’s website at www.thsmartclub.co.uk. All content © thesmartclub 2004. No text or images may be reproduced without the consent of thesmartclub – email 4site@thesmartclub.co.uk thesmartclub is a brand of thesmartclub Ltd, Company Number SC259434, Registered in Scotland, UK
thesmartclub – the world’s largest independent club for smart car owners and enthusiasts