thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart 3
www.thesmartclub.com
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‘4site’
July 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
www.thesmartclub.com
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‘4site’
July 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Welcome to our 8th issue of ‘4site’, our international, full colour format magazine for smart car owners and enthusiasts around the world. Issue 7 (April 2008) saw us launch ‘4site’ in its new format and importantly, launch a ‘hard copy’ version for distribution to UK smart Dealerships and Dealerships across Europe and North America.
In this quarter’s issue of ‘4site:
Whilst Members of thesmartclub who do not have access to the internet also have copies of this magazine posted to them, we ensured that online versions of ‘4site’ were available for global access anywhere. It is hugely encouraging that in early July we exceeded 30,000 (thirty thousand) downloads of Issue 7 and we are confident that this latest issue will exceed that figure.
Club News How to join thesmartclub Our ‘Privilege Card Club gear in our Online Shop Car Insurance scheme Club Structure Fuel Consumption Survey Handover Packs Rally Roadster
Events Review Mallory Park Hambach 2008 Scottish Tour Destination Brooklands
Local Meetings Product Reviews Dodo Juice TIK & Intercooler pipes
Forthcoming events smart times Austria 2008
Features ‘4site’ is, of course, your magazine too. We have a range of options available to you for article and photo submissions making it as easy as possible to have you and your smart publicised to an international audience of enthusiasts. In addition, thesmartclub is proud to have printed and bound copies of ‘4site’ available from our Online Shop, or available to order by phone, representing outstanding value for money for a professionally printed quarterly magazine. We ship and distribute the magazine around the world and if you missed your copy of Issue 7, it’s also available to order now! Thank you for your continued support! Al Young Chairman & Managing Director thesmartclub ltd
www.thesmartclub.com
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Cannonball Run Day out in Paris
Submit an Article Dealership News smart centre Saarbrucken smart of Taunton (UK) smart USA
News from Hambach News from smart
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Advertisers Anton Digital Bantam Trailers (UK) Half Moon Bay (Leisure) Ltd Functional Parts Ltd Smart of Cardiff Smart of Swansea Smart-Parts-Direct Smarts-R-Us
‘4site’
July 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Club News
thesmartclub’s Online Shop
How to join thesmartclub
Our Online Shop brings you a range of Club branded merchandise for you and your smart.
Joining thesmartclub could not be easier and we have a number of options available to you.
Online If you have access to the internet, simply log on to our web site at www.thesmartclub.com and click the ‘Join the Club’ menu option.
Offline (postal) We are very aware that many people do not have regular access to internet services and as such, we offer an ‘offline’ membership service. Membership under this scheme provides you a copy of ‘4site’ delivered to your door, Event information and application forms by post and automatic entitlement to our ‘Privilege Card’. Of course, you also benefit from full telephone and fax support. Simply write to us at:
Everything from polo shirts and fleeces to pens and stickers. We also have a range of mats for smart fortwo (pre 2007 ‘451’ models) and Roadsters plus books describing the history of smart and the smart community. You can order online 24 hours/day, 7 days per week and Privilege Card holders benefit from additional discounts on all products offered. The Shop is open to all Members and smart car enthusiasts and we currently ship products to multiple countries around the world. For those enthusiasts without Online access, write to us or call us to request a copy of our products listings by post.
Membership thesmartclub ltd PO Box 28549 Edinburgh EH4 5WB, UK
thesmartclub Car Insurance scheme thesmartclub is delighted to announce the launch of thesmartclub Car Insurance Scheme in collaboration with Chris Knott Insurance. thesmartclub Car Insurance Scheme aims to not only beat your existing premium BUT we aim to beat your best quotation for your smart car insurance by 10%*!
Our Privilege Card – smart saving!
First - simply seek out the best insurance quote for your smart
Now in its 5th year, our ‘Privilege Card’ continues to go from strength to strength bringing you discounts on servicing and parts from multiple smart centres in addition to significant discounts from third party organisations. Plus you receive discounted pricing in thesmartclub’s Online Shop and better still, benefit from significant discounts on our Major Event prices. You receive all these benefits for only £10.00 per annum (€13,00* or $20.00* equivalent per annum). Visit our web site or write to us for full details. * currency conversions approximate for March 2008. Exchange rate calculated at time of application
www.thesmartclub.com
Next - Call us FREE on (UK) 0800 917 2274 quoting 'thesmartclub' Then - Provide us with your best quote and we'll aim to beat it by 10%* *Saving applies to new policies for named drivers and specific discount is dependent on individual circumstances. Underwriting conditions apply. GB only, unfortunately, this offer excludes Northern Ireland. Thesmartclub Car Insurance Scheme in relation to insuring your smart car is an exclusive arrangement between thesmartclub ltd and Chris Knott Insurance. Chris Knott Insurance is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
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‘4site’
July 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Club news
Fuel Consumption survey As announced in Issue 07 of ‘4site’ (April 2008) we are running an online fuel consumption survey throughout 2008 on the new (451) smart fortwo.
It’s all about structure … In the previous issue of ‘4site’ we brought you some background information on the Membership numbers, web site visitors and importantly, the wide range of ages making up our global Membership of thesmartclub around the world. Of course, it takes more than a handful of people behind the scenes to make thesmartclub operate and we thought it beneficial to shed some light behind the scenes on various functions we have operating. The club operates on a system of ‘bubbles’ or ‘small teams’ focussing on a range of key activities. Each ‘bubble’ takes ownership and responsibility for any innovation, development and delivery of a range of services. Whilst members of each team mainly operate on a ’virtual’ basis communicating via conference call, video conference and other online services, regular ‘face to face’ meetings take place at key points throughout the year.
Administration & Membership
Advertising & Marketing
DaimlerAG Liaison
‘4site’ Production
Dealership Liaison
Web & I.T.
Events
Merchandising
Legal / Contractual
Handover Packs
Our web site will be updated in the near future to provide additional information about each of these functions and future issues of ‘4site’ will focus on a specific ‘bubble’ bringing you additional insight into our day to day operations.
www.thesmartclub.com
Each month we publish the average consumption figures for each engine type and driving style (town, country, motorway/freeway) on our web site. The service is live, internationally, now and you can access the survey form by clicking the link on our homepage at www.thesmartclub.com
We have teams dedicated to:
Your participation in this survey is greatly appreciated and we now have over 200 drivers across Europe and North America submitting data to us each time they fill their car. In addition, we can also provide each participant with a bespoke set of results each month based on their own fuel data.
In addition to smart of Edinburgh and ‘smarttrailers.co.uk’ participating in our Handover Pack, we are delighted to announce that smart of Cardiff and smart of Swansea have also now joined this Scheme. Edinburgh, Cardiff and Swansea provide the packs with all new and used smart car purchases and smart-trailers provide a pack with every trailer purchased. Remember, the packs provide you with FULL Membership of thesmartclub and a FREE Privilege Card for one year. In addition, all these companies also participate in our Privilege Card Scheme.
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‘4site’
July 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Club news Over the past year, we have received multiple enquiries regarding the development and testing of our rally prepared Roadster, It’s certainly been a long, ongoing project and 2008 continues to see many developments and modifications based on experience and feedback from the events into which the car is entered over the previous three years. Issue 9 of ‘4site’ will contain the first of several articles documenting the history of this car, the changes, specifications and the companies involved in developing the car to its current form.
We’ll focus on key areas in each issue of the magazine (electronics, suspension, braking, induction, exhaust, safety etc) and hope that this will be of interest to many of the roadster and enthusiasts keen on the world of motor sport.
I'm mad. I'm stinking, blazing mad! My smart is 9 years old (or maybe 10, I'm not quite sure, but 9 is what I'm told). Imported back in '99 and registered a 'T', it first belonged to my young son, who passed it on to me. Resplendent in a fiery red, it glowed amongst the rest – the lilacs, pinks and fuzzy greens - but mine was much the best. They called it 'mad', but later reds were less defined than that: They took a slightly orange tint and bore the label 'phat'. Phat! What's that? It's not a name, not even a true red. It doesn't even glow a lot, but faintly gleams instead. These days, I doubt if even 'phat' would figure on the charts; where are the psychedelic tones that once distinguished smarts? Now only blacks and blues are seen, or sometimes silver greys. My left-hand drive was brought to life in brighter, friendlier days, when drivers would acknowledge other smarts out on the road. Their pride in this unique design was so pronounced, it showed. But now, suppose my ageing car at last gave up the ghost? How could I then replace the red that I have valued most? Would I be forced to take a step that I consider 'back', by having to acquire a smart in boring blue or black? I wish that I could always keep the livery I had – but, while it lasts, I'm glad to say, I'm happy to stay 'mad'. Submitted by Joan Hallmark www.thesmartclub.com
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‘4site’
July 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Events : Review
th place of 10 overall at the end of the 6 hours. Better still, in the Manufacturer’s Awards, we finished 3rd overall (for smart) behind Lotus in 1st, Caterham in 2nd and just ahead of Westfield in 4th.
Mallory Park May 2008
Readers of the previous issue of ‘4site’ will have seen that thesmartclub was entering a two car Roadster team into a 6 hour endurance Event at Mallory Park on May 16th. The day itself saw low cloud, rain and constantly changing track conditions ranging from seriously wet with little visibility to some dry line appearing late in the day. With a field of 28 different manufacturers within 26 teams it was a packed starting grid. The 6 hour event experienced numerous ‘Red Flag’ incidents as various competitors exited stage left to visit the Armco or nudge nearby competitors as everyone scrabbled for grip. Fiona and Shona on the pit wall kept our team fully informed and instructed us the optimum time for driver and car changes, a strategy made all the more complex by the red flag moments.
A huge thanks to the whole team consisting of Al Young, Ernie Mellor (Rally Roadster), Paul Maskens, Oliver Whittaker (Roadster Coupe), Fiona Young (Team Manager) assisted by Shona Mellor and Jeff Hall (Service Manager). Our thanks also to smart of Edinburgh for their extensive preparation prior to and significant repair work (!) that they carried out post the event on our rally Roadster in advance of our Italian rally later this year.
Both our Roadsters performed well although not without incident – Paul and Oliver suffering an intermittent starter motor problem and our own rally prepared Roadster (using the Event as a shakedown for the forthcoming Monaco-Rome rally in September) suffered from the occasional box of neutrals and a failing Engine Control Unit resulting in cylinder 2 having the fuel cut off under load. Despite the conditions, we maintained excellent overall lap times and, having kept both cars on the tarmac throughout the day, and with superb pit strategy, thesmartclub team achieved a
www.thesmartclub.com
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‘4site’
July 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Events : Review Hambach 2008 The eighth annual trip to Smartville set off from Dover early on Sunday, 18th May 2008. This year 27 cars made the journey, comprising of 6 Roadsters, 12 fortwos, 6 forfours, 1 Crossblade and 2 non-smarts (which are always accepted!).
Monday morning arrived and the first group headed off through the rush hour traffic to Smartville to see the production line and, for some, their first sighting of a Smart Tower. For those not attending the morning tour there was the opportunity to travel to the Smart Centre at Saarbrucken and to see their Smart Tower packed with Smart cars, to rest at the hotel or to travel around the local area.
Several people were making the journey for the first time as well as those who had made the trip before (often on more than one occasion). For those who didn’t want to have to drive to Dover for 7.15 am that morning, there was an overnight stay at the Travel Inn at Dover. With a separate area in the adjoining Restaurant this gave people an opportunity to meet like-minded smart friends, both old and new.
A tube of smarts travelled down to the ferry and joined the queue before taking over the majority of the ferry. The journey to Calais went well with no problems and gave people an opportunity to fit in a good breakfast (if they could face it!) and to rest before the driving began. We were grateful to Al Young who, as always, made sure we were kept on track throughout the journey from Calais to Victors’ Hotel in Saarbrucken by meeting everyone at various checkpoints during the trip. As well as negotiating the Toll Roads, each car completed the journey at its own pace, and in good time for our evening meal! Sunday evening saw us travelling to Victors’ sister hotel for the evening meal and to celebrate with the two people who had their 40th and 50th birthdays whilst on the trip. The evening also gave everyone an opportunity to chat about the journey and the forthcoming Smartville visit the following day, not to mention the chance to visit the Saarbrucken Smart Centre and clear them of all their stock! For those who had been very shrewd, this was the opportunity for them to collect their orders from the Smart Centre! www.thesmartclub.com
Both tours met for lunch at the Smart Communications Centre, before separating again into their individual groups. If nothing else this gave people an opportunity to take photos, swap notes about photos they had taken and, most importantly, to get that all important picture of their individual smart in front of the Smartville Smart Tower – a must for all enthusiasts. The factory tour, as always, was informative and nothing was hidden from view. The only thing different from previous years was the lack of new smarts in the factory car parks as demand is outstripping the amount they can produce! Suffice it to say that if you want to know what it is like, you need to sign up for the 2009 tour as this will include a new presentation at the factory. Tuesday gave people an opportunity to spend the day doing their own thing with people visiting Saarbrucken itself or exploring the surrounding areas. The advantage of being in an organised group meant you could go it alone or join in with other groups who were visiting places such as Bernkastel, Strasbourg, and the Nurburgring. Following the meal on Tuesday evening several people visited the local Saarbrucken establishments to try the local beverages and beers, culminating in an ‘early’ return to the hotel itself whilst others remained in the hotel itself for a drink and a chat. Unlike previous years, when there were no problems with the return journey, Wednesday saw a change in luck. After an amazing Hambach visit, when everyone was due to return to the UK, cars arrived at Calais only to
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‘4site’
July 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
find that the journey home had been affected by the French Port Blockade. Thanks to good teamwork, on both sides of the channel, the route was rearranged. .
mobile phones and two-way radios that enabled messages to be relayed and coordinated by team members. Several cars were re-routed to Ostend to board one of two ferries ensuring passage back to the UK, albeit somewhat later than originally anticipated whilst others went via Eurotunnel or stayed overnight in France. For those who returned later in the week their route was much easier with no problems with the ferries. Hambach 2009 is already planned in my diary and with possible changes to the visit it sounds like it will, again, be a fantastic event to attend
Thank goodness for a meet at Aire D’Urvillers,
Submitted by Barrie Cox & Amanda Randall
Hambach 2008 & 2009 thesmartclub is grateful to Mrs Shona Mellor for the invaluable coordination role she played with a range of North Sea and cross channel ferry operators during the recent French Port Ferry blockade. Shona, whilst based in the UK, liaised with Tony Williams in north France who, in turn coordinated a group of people returning via alternative routes back to the UK. In addition, we are delighted to announce that planning and preparations are already underway for the 2009 visit to the smartville factory in Hambach, France. Details to follow …
www.thesmartclub.com
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‘4site’
July 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Events : Review
Supplied with Roadbooks, Information packs and even a CD containing a mix of Scottish music, the route took us from Edinburgh north west for a couple of overnight halts in Ballachulish. Then it was ‘Over the sea to Skye’ and up to Portree for another couple of nights ensuring that there was plenty of time to explore the spectacular scenery, mountains and roads around the island.
Scottish Tour
Readers of Issue 7 of ‘4site’ and the regular visitors to our web site will have seen that thesmartclub was running its inaugural Scottish Tour at the beginning of July. A full write up on the whole tour will be included in Issue 9 of ‘4site’, due out October 2008. Meantime, as a ‘wee taster’ of the tour …. The event was a huge success, starting with some outstanding hospitality provided by smart of Edinburgh who kindly offered their premises as a formal start venue – lunch and refreshments on the Saturday ensured that both tour participants and visitors arriving to wave the tour off had a memorable ‘start’ experience.
www.thesmartclub.com
The route then left the island to head up the shores of Loch Ness for a couple of nights and then through some of Scotland’s most wonderful driving roads down to Balmoral Castle and a final overnight halt in Blairgowrie before heading back to Edinburgh on the following Saturday. Look out for a full report and some magical pictures (both of the scenery and some of the people (!)) in the next issue of ‘4site’!
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‘4site’
July 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Events : Review Destination Brooklands 2008 21st June 2008 saw another superb event at Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands, UK. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of smart, and following months of planning, expectations were high that this year would see record numbers of smart enthusiasts from across Europe gathering at this wonderful venue. The day did not disappoint and even the weather was kind enough holding back on any rain throughout the day. Around 1200 cars arrived throughout the day and this year, the multiple Dealer start venues proved hugely popular with the added bonus of refreshments and bacon sandwiches in many of the start locations to launch the participants off on their journey to the Event. This year also saw an increase in the number of rd 3 party Traders attending offering everything from remaps, wheels, exhausts, panels and more. With a range of additional test drives by smart, plus activities around the venue and the spectacular displays and information inside Mercedes-Benz world itself, there was never a shortage of options to fill the day. Of course, any Birthday celebration would not be the same without a cake and three HUGE cakes were provided and cut into slices to be distributed throughout the day to all passers by – make no mistake as to the size of the cake based on the picture below … each cake was at least 1m wide!
Another ‘star’ of the day was the Brabus Ultimate 112 kindly brought to us directly from Germany especially for this event and my thanks goes to Kai Trillenberg and his team for their support and advice throughout the day.
thesmartclub also ran a raffle during the day for an amazing prize kindly donated by smart of Edinburgh and comprising Roadster luggage, smartware and car care products in addition to a range of merchandise from thesmartclub. It was a hugely popular raffle with the eventual lucky winner being as Aimee Gills from Camberley, UK (pictured above). The results of our online ‘Destination Brooklands’ feedback from will be published in the next issue of ‘4site’ due out October 2008 although already, initial results are showing this to be one of the most popular and most successful events yet. Our thanks to all those for submitting their views and comments which, as ever, form an instrumental part in all future event planning.
One of the big changes this year was the judging of the competitor cars for Best Dressed, Best Modified and Best Kept categories where all the voting was carried out by the visiting public and it proved hugely popular.
www.thesmartclub.com
Mercedes-Benz World is now one of the UK’s top visitor attractions and is situated just a few minutes from Junction 10 of the M25. Clearly sign-posted on all subsequent approach roads, you can find it at Brooklands Drive, Weybridge, Surrey, KT13 0SL, UK. It’s open to visitors from 10am to 6pm, 7 days a week and better still, admission is FREE!
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‘4site’
July 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Events : Review Destination Brooklands 2008 smart of Portsmouth As one of multiple European start venues, Phil Deacon (Group Communications Manager at Mercedes-Benz of Winchester) had arranged a breakfast start function at smart of Portsmouth.
With super ‘on site’ planning and organisation, it made a wonderful start venue for Destination Brooklands and with the 118 cars arriving, it also succeeded in becoming the start venue with the highest number of start participants.
Phil was keen to ensure that smart of Portsmouth attracted the largest number of starters within the UK and readers of ‘4site’ will have seen his advertisement in Issue 7 of ‘4site’ advising of his plans. st On the morning of June 21 , reality exceeded expectations with 118 cars and over 200 people descending on smart of Portsmouth!
www.thesmartclub.com
Thanks to Phil and his team for their support!
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‘4site’
July 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Regular Local Meetings If you regularly meet with a group of local smart owners and enthusiasts (wherever that is in the world) and you would like your meeting included in our future listings, please email events.team@thesmartclub.com or telephone us on +44-845-299-0332 with details for inclusion in the next issue of our ‘4site’ magazine. Please note that as many of the following meetings are outside of the direct control of thesmartclub, details and dates may change.
Local Meetings Gloucester area smart meet 1st Sunday of every month at 12 noon. Whittle Inn, Gloucester Business Park
Essex smarties meet 2nd Tuesday of every month, 7.30 to 8.00 p.m. The Six Bells, Main Road, Boreham, nr Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 3JE Milton Keynes smart meet Every 2nd Monday, 7.30 p.m. onwards Check Meetings Section of thesmartclub MessageBoard Navigation Pub, Stoke Bruerne DAFT Mansfield meet 1st Wednesday of every month at 7.00ish p.m. The Snipe Pub, Alfreton Road, Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 1JE BASS meet 1st Wednesday of every month The Weir Hotel, Towpath, Waterside Drive, Walton-on-Thames, KT12 2JB
East smart Cambridge meet 2nd Monday of every month Grantchester
East Kent smarties 2nd Wednesday of every month, from 8.00 p.m. Dukes Head Pub, Sellindge, nr Ashford, Kent
St. Albans Meet 4th Thursday of every month from 7:30pm The Three Horseshoes, 612 Hatfield Road Smallford, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0HP
NWsmarties meet 3rd Thursday of every month from 6.30pm The Riverside, Warrington Road, Acton Bridge, Northwich, Cheshire
Contact thesmartclub We have a wide range of contact options available to you enabling you to have questions answered: Email Enquiries General: admin@thesmartclub.com Membership: membership@thesmartclub.com Privilege Card: privilege@thesmartclub.com Events: events.team@thesmartclub.com Technical (car related): technical@thesmartclub.com Technical (web related): webmaster@thesmartclub.com Advertising: advertising@thesmartclub.com Club Merchandise: distribution@thesmartclub.com Phone +44 (0) 845 299 0332
Fax +44 (0) 131 312 6167
Post thesmartclub ltd PO Box 28549 Edinburgh EH4 5WB UK
www.thesmartclub.com
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‘4site’
July 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Launching with just five hand made waxes, the range has grown to over 19 products in 2008, all made in the UK by a small team of dedicated technicians. The waxes have been well-received by the detailing community and are used by professional detailers as well as amateur enthusiasts. Dodo Juice’s new wax, Supernatural (sold in a bespoke hard wood container), sold out within 25 minutes.
Product Review Dodo Juice
For myself, this started on the last day of thesmartclub run to Hambach, when a certain Mr. Al Young asked me what I had used to clean my Roadster. Being totally naive I told him I had found a new product on the market called Dodo Juice. A British product made by a British company which in itself nowadays is a fairly rare thing. Looking fairly impressed by the finish especially when I told him it had last been polished more than a month previous and that I'd just given the car a quick rinse and dried it off with a chamois, I found myself under starters orders being told that he wanted me to write an article about this new product for the next edition of the ‘4site’ magazine. I initially started to look for a new cleaning product after I joined a local car enthusiasts group and found the Roadster looking somewhat lacklustre when parked amongst the other members cars which were mainly Italian and German Exotica (Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche) etc. After searching various web sites and forums I came across Dodo Juice which seemed to be getting fantastic reviews from such people as the “Porsche 911 enthusiasts club”, “Fast Car magazine” and “Pistonheads”. It was also used on the concours winner at the Audi driver international 2007 show. Seeing all these glowing reports about the products I bit the bullet and ordered some 'Lime Prime' (Pre Wax Conditioner) and some 'Diamond White' (A hard colour charged wax for light coloured and silver cars). Now I'll tell you a little about the background of this new company. Dodo Juice was set up in June 2007 by PJ and Dom, a couple of guys who wanted to wake up the car wax industry, make it a double espresso and then jump on its bed. Tired of the car care industry’s prehistoric marketing and mass-produced offerings, Dodo Juice was established with one aim in mind – to bring high performance car care products to the enthusiast, at realistic prices, without any pompous claims.
www.thesmartclub.com
Overall, Dodo Juice is a company that is proud to be different, proud that its logo is difficult to read, proud of its distinctive website (www.dodojuice.com) and proud to be friendly, approachable and educational. One day it may even achieve its ambition of buying a volcano island, complete with monorail and laser. Then its competitors will have even more reason to worry I used www.theultimatefinish.co.uk to order and am very pleased with both their service and delivery times. A full list of all Dodo Juice resellers can be found on www.dodojuice.com however. Dodo Juice produces 2 different types of wax, hard and soft. Hard waxes are applied by a foam applicator pad whereas the soft waxes are applied lovingly by hand. One 250ml jar of soft wax should be enough for between 15-25 applications the same amount of hard wax will cover between 20-30. There are 4 different types of both waxes Rainforest Rub (all colours), Purple Haze (dark colours), Orange Crush (warm colours), and Light Fantastic (light colours) are the soft waxes. Hard Candy (all colours), Blue Velvet (dark colours), Banana Armour (warm colours) and Diamond White (light colours) are the hard waxes. All these 250ml jars retail for £32.50 with the exception of Rainforest Rub which is £29.50. The new Supernatural premium wax retails for £95.00 and comes in a bespoke specially commissioned refillable air-tight container made from sustainable 'Iroku' hardwood and hand-crafted in the UK. Refills are available for £65.00.
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‘4site’
July 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Once the products had arrived I got out all my cleaning equipment, bucket, sponge, chamois, etc, and started work on the car. The 'Lime Prime' does actually smell of limes and does an incredible job of prepping the car for the wax. I placed one of the microfibre finishing cloths on the bonnet and watched in amazement as it just slid towards the front of the car. Feeling the paintwork with your fingers it feels as smooth as glass and you wonder if applying the wax is really necessary. Getting one of the foam applicator pads I opened the 'Diamond White' wax jar and was immediately greeted by the smell of coconuts. Applying the wax was a lot easier than I thought and I used the two panel method, waxing two panels at a time and by the time you've finished the second panel the first should be hazed over and ready to buff off with a microfibre finishing cloth. The final result was amazing with the Roadster really having a deep deep shine. Yes it does take longer than a normal wash and polish, but the results last a lot longer and the finish is far superior. It will also save you time in the future though, as once you've used Dodo Juice wax you'll only have to wash the car every other week to keep it gleaming. My Roadster was still beading when it rained 10 weeks after the initial application. After being given a deadline by Mr. Young for this article I spoke to Dom (The CEO of Dodo Juice) on the phone and he very kindly sent me three other products to try out and tell you all about. The first is 'Lime Prime Lite' This is basically the same as 'Lime Prime' but with no micro-abrasives whatsoever. We all know that 'TCut' is a definite no no when it comes to smart cars and the original 'Lime Prime' is a lot kinder than 'T-Cut', but 'Lime Prime Lite' is even kinder than the original so is ideal for the smart. The second is ‘Born to be Mild’ This is a high quality maintenance shampoo which unlike many other shampoos' on the market is Carnauba friendly. Many car shampoos' can be a real minefield, you can get de-greasing shampoos' which contain salt and other ingredients that dry out paint and make it susceptible to flaking due to expansion & contraction.
www.thesmartclub.com
I used 'Born to be Mild' with some anticipation and once again was not disappointed with a bucket of warm water I poured the purple liquid into the bucket wondering what scent would come wafting up at me and was pleasantly taken back at the smell of berries. Weird seeing as most websites tell you it smells of peaches! Using a wash mitt I started to shampoo the car and the dirt just seemed to slide off. A quick chamois later and the car was once again gleaming. I'm not sure why, but drying the car seemed to be a lot quicker when using this shampoo as opposed to the others I have used in the past. The last product is 'Need for Speed' and is described on the label as an "All-In-One Super Juice". It is aimed at those of you that just want a quick fix product that cleans, protects and polishes all in one easy application. Even this new Super Juice contains Carnauba so you won’t be disappointed with the results and yes even this product has the trademark of Dodo Juice in that it smells of peaches. So you just wash the car using 'Born to be Mild' of course, apply the 'Need for Speed' and once hazed over buff it off for yet another superb quality shine. Overall I have been totally converted by the quality and ease of application of Dodo Juice products. All my other cleaning products have been put to the back of the cupboard with the exception of a glass polish and leather cleaner, until Dodo Juice in their wisdom decide to bring out their own of course. I'm still trying to find a way to get a pot of 'Supernatural' Premium Wax past the wife. I don't think she's buying the excuse that I need it so I can do another review for the ‘4site’ magazine. So the next time you want to clean the car get and don't just wash the car, give it a treat and JUICE it. Submitted by Steve Gosden Does the product do we expected? Ease of DIY fitting
n/a
Value for money Overall rating 5 out of 5
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‘4site’
July 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
Product Review
wheels to those fitted on the Pulse model, fitted with a 175/195 tyre combo and Eibach lowering springs to give better looks and much improved handling.
Smart fortwo (451) 84bhp TIK & Intercooler pipes Early in April this year I had a call from Paul Woolley at Wellsmart. He'd had a prototype set of pipes and they needed a car to test them on. Of course I was more than happy to oblige. These were from air filter box to turbo and then from turbo to intercooler and intercooler to throttle body.
My car had previously had an ITG air filter and some “experimental” spark plugs fitted, which seemed to make it a bit perkier. However these pipes have made a huge difference. After fitting the pipes Wellsmart had taken my car to a rolling road, which provided some rather ambitious figures. 127Bhp and 129ft/lb of torque – even Paul was surprised at the increase over the factory figures of 84bhp and 88.5 ft/lb of torque. So setting those aside and actually driving the car proved more interesting. There was a slight change in engine note – the 84bhp smart always sounded a bit “offbeat” but now my car is just a bit more so. My first trip after collecting it was amazing – I couldn’t quite believe it actually hadn’t been remapped at the same time. Even when moving off it felt a lot perkier, seemingly so much more power than before. I didn’t get chance to give it a long drive that evening and had to wait until the weekend – where I took advantage of the lanes on the way to Wellsmart to really try it out. It was now pulling hard when going uphill, not needing a gear change whereas it might have done previously. All in all, rather impressive and while the car felt fine on its standard suspension and wheels, I’ve upgraded the www.thesmartclub.com
Before writing this article I took my car to a different local rolling road and (after consulting Evilutions website to find which fuse to pull and disable the ESP) got another set of figures. This time I went to Interpro of Thornbury nr Bristol. The guy there had a play about and deemed the smart as possibly the most awkward car to dyno – all down to the clutch and gearbox doing whatever it wants when it wants. However, the results are less impressive than the previous ones but more inline with expected gains from these modifications. The new bhp figure is 101bhp @ 5300rpm and 122ft/lb @ 3300rpm – both of which I understand are better than the factory BRABUS model with its 98bhp and 103ft/lb of torque. I'd recommend these mods to anyone with an 84bhp new smart, giving you a big slug of extra power and torque - 17bhp and 33ft/lb of torque - and all for under £250 + fitting. I understand that Wellsmart also have some silicone pipes to fit the 71bhp model, the comment from an owner who is trialling them is “it now pulls like a train” Submitted by Tony Williams Does the product do we expected?
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Ease of DIY fitting
Unknown (Fitted by Wellsmart)
Value for money Overall rating 5 out of 5
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Events : Forthcoming smart times, Austria Under the motto “Let’s Celebrate”, after 7 years of smart times Events, we will be celebrating the world’s biggest smart fortwo Birthday party in the old airport at Zell am See from 22nd to 24th August 2008. Alongside a packed 3 day programme centred around smart, as well as an abundance of smart cars and fans, we’ve planned a few very special highlights for ‘smart times 2008 – the celebration”. Even the inward journey across Europe will be an event. Shortly before smart times begins, places where you can meet up and travel to the venue in groups will be published on www.smarttimes.at. The three day Birthday celebration begins Friday afternoon with the Tuning Happy Hour and the smart design contest. In the evening you will be enticed by the BIG Welcome Party followed by the DJ Night in the smart lounge.
The big Birthday celebration takes place in the evening with, for example, the greatest hits of the 80s and 90s played by the legendary group, Funtastics.
The programme is rounded off by joint excursions, smart clubs and drivers from all over Europe, unique shopping and tuning services and, hopefully, a bright alpine sky. Every participant is important and you can register at www.smarttimes.at/en/registration and you can find all of the latest information on smart times '08 at the smart times site: http://www.smarttimes.at/?lang=en. LATEST NEWS (July 2008)
Saturday will start with the formation of the enormous smart convoy. We expect there to be more than 1,000 smarts from over 20 countries this year. The 10th birthday of the smart fortwo is sufficient reason for us to see if we have what it takes to achieve a Guinness World record entry. The 2007 smart convoy route is being extended by a whole 15km in the direction of the picturesque Kitzsteinhorn for this purpose. This involves us forming a smart convoy of over 3.2km with a maximum distance of not more than 2m to the car in front on the alpine road. Be part of the action – every smart counts. Saturday afternoon is fully dedicated to the birthday celebration. After the performance of the SheSays, who have already toured with Bon Jovi, smart on boat begins on lake Zeller. www.thesmartclub.com
SheSays live on stage at smart times '08. They won the largest Austrian new talent competition, were honoured at the Austrian AMADEUS Music Awards and accompanied Bryan Adams on tour in Europe. They will be playing live on stage and are also available to their fans in the Meet & Greet Corner. World record attempt at smart times '08. smart times '08 invites all fans of the cult-car to support the official Guinness World Record attempt starting at 11 a.m. on 23 August 2008. This involves moving a convoy of at least 369 smarts with a gap not exceeding 2 metres between each vehicle over a distance of at least 3.2 kilometres. We not only want to beat the record, but double it. The goal is to set up a convoy of more than 738 smarts and cover a distance of more than 4 km. In this respect, we are currently planning the closure of Kesselfallstrasse in the direction of Kitzsteinhorn. As with previous years, thesmartclub will be well represented at this year’s Event in Austria.
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rallies the Cannonball Cannonball Run Europe
Features Cannonball Run Smart Car – Burt Reynolds – 3000miles - you couldn’t make it up Yet another milestone in the colourful history of Mercedes and smart will be written this summer with the first-ever entry of a fortwo smart car, a Brabus model, in the world famous Cannonball Run. The owner, David Ward , and his co-driver Adrian Hull will strap themselves into the Brabus for the 3000-mile gruelling event across Europe as fast as speed limits will allow in Five days So far, the smart Car is the only smart to take part in the 2008 legendary run and will be competing against 49 super and luxury cars. The two drivers will be pitting their endurance and skills against the best Europe can offer – and will be striving for the top spot which will also mean taking home the coveted Burt Reynolds bust trophy.
8000
and
the
It is widely accepted that each rally has its own branding. The Cannonball Run, Europe, offers a bit of both of the others, the six-day event of the Gumball plus the approachability of the 8000 event albeit the 8000 event is spread over the weekend. The cannonball, Europe, has attracted a great cross section of cars this year with notable inclusions being numerous AMG model Mercedes, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Bentley Gt’s and an Audi R8 to name a few David has officially named their entry zoomzoomsmart and hope to raise money for the NSPCC – as well as create a profile for the smart car. The zoomzoomsmart, which started out as a one-lady owner car, was taken to Smarts ‘r’ Us in Nottingham who worked their magic to produce the 101bhp Brabus pictured here The 2008 Cannonball Run leaves these shores on Sunday July 6 for the five-day event. To enter a smart car may well be considered by some, to be a David (name of driver purely coincidental) and Goliath contest but according to one very informed source – it was a contest David won! Submitted by David Ward More information can be found at www.zoomzoomsmart.com and www.cannonballeurope.co.uk
++ ++ STOP PRESS ++ The Cannonball Run originated in the early 70’s and was conceived by “Car and Driver” magazine writer Brock Yates. He took his inspiration from an even earlier event. In 1933 Erwin George “cannonball” Baker drove his Graham-Paige model 57 Blue Streak 8 across the USA averaging just over 50mph in 53 hours 30minutes, a record that stood for 40 years. The current record is 31hours 4 minutes. From the Cannonball run in the 70’s the world renowned films were spawned starring Burt Reynolds which, incidentally were co- written by Brock Yates 1999 saw the re-emergence of the rallies of the 70’s with the inaugural Gumball 3000. This event saw 55 cars leave London’s West End and travel to Rimini in Italy and back in six days This event has subsequently been joined by two other major
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Since their submission of their article, we have now heard that David and Adrian have WON the European 2008 Cannonball Run! It’s an outstanding achievement against some tough competition and again shows that when it’s really important, size does not matter. You can read all about their adventures via the Cannonball blog, the address of which is shown below. Additional information is also available from Smarts R Us . Our congratulations to all involved. Blog @ http://cannonballruneurope.co.uk/blog/
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the most expensive coffee I have ever had at €4.50.
Features Day out in Paris Have just returned from my 3rd and most enjoyable Hambach trip with the Smart Club. On the Tuesday we had a free day and thought it would be good to have a car free day so we booked up a day trip to Paris on the Deutsche Bahn ICE train. This does not refer to the temperature on board but stands for Inter City Express. We booked this from home with RailEurope at cost of £49 and we even selected our seat for both journeys in advance. We arrived at Saarbrucken Bahnhof at 7.45 for the 8.00 train which arrived 1 minute late. We were booked on to coach 24 even though there were only 8 and found our reserved seats, not marked by the usual British Rail piece of card but an electronic display showing our route. The train moved smoothly away and soon picked up speed. After about 10 minutes we stopped at Forbach, just into France where some armed border guards came on to check passports. They only selected a group of American tourists and left us alone. In a short while we were up to 200 KPH but after about half an hour this increased to 300 and then we heard an announcement form the conductor in English, German and French (don’t get that on Virgin Rail) that we had reached our cruising speed of 320 KPH (200MPH) You cannot imagine the excitement I felt as that was the fastest I had ever gone on land. A jet takes of at slower speed so that puts it into perspective. Highest speed was 322KPH. We arrived in Pairs at 9.51, still 1 minute late, having travelled about 230 miles in 110 minutes. Left the train and went straight to the Metro where we purchased 10 tickets at cost of €11.50 (90p each compared to £4 in London for single trip). The metro is easy to use. Just work out where you want to go, look on the map for the end of the relevant line and catch a train in that direction. None of this Northern line southbound business. We came out near Montmatre and climbed the steep streets to the funicular railway which takes you up to the impressive Sacre Coeur basilica, the highest point in Paris with extensive views. It was busy here with street performers, pavement artists, crocodiles of school children and tourists from every corner of the globe.
We walked round the narrow streets and found the only vineyard in Paris and then started walking down to the metro stopping outside the Moulin Rouge for a quick can-can. We were heading for the Louvre for Lunch where Kirk knew this swanky place Cafe Marly actually in the old palace overlooking the glass pyramid in the central courtyard. I had a glass of sancerre (€7) and macaroni cheese (€16) but we were paying for the unique position. After lunch we walked through the Tuileries gardens and from here you can see right down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe and on to the modern Grande Arche at La Defense 10KM in the distance. We had to cross this 8 lane road which was pretty scary and found a metro station. Next stop was the Eiffel Tower, a truly iconic structure. We crossed the Seine to get the classic photos of the tower and then back to the metro for our next stop, Ile de la Cite, inhabited since Roman times and the beautiful gothic cathedral of Notre Dame. This was one of the first in the world to use flying buttresses. This used to be pasture for cows but now houses boutiques and galleries. Time was getting on so we had a brisk walk back to the metro and returned to the Gare de l'Est for the 17.09 train back to Saarbrucken. On the way back we were thirsty so Kirk visited the bistro car which even has a lounge area. He came back carrying 2 large glasses of weiss bier and did not spill a drop. Not bad at 200 mph. We arrived back at Victors Hotel at 19.15 just over 2 hours after leaving Paris. A very tiring but hugely enjoyable day out.
We sat at a cafe in a cobbled square and had
Submitted by Mark Duncan
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Submit an Article to ‘4site’ - We want to hear from you! With a truly international audience, ‘4site’ provides you with an ideal additional channel to tell smart owners and enthusiasts about your ‘smart’ filled holiday, vacation, modifications, tours, competitions and ‘smart’ lifestyle. We make it easy for you to submit articles to us, 24 hours/day, 7 days per week.
You can submit articles directly to us via a dedicated page on our web site.
You can email articles, images and graphics to us any time, any day.
Visit www.thesmartclub.com and select the ‘Forums & Info’ menu option, then ‘4site’ and ‘Submit an Article’.
Your text can be created in an email, pasted into an email or sent to us in any file format. Emails should sent to:
You can type your text directly into the page we provide or paste text you have created elsewhere.
We understand that not everyone has access to the internet or email services. You can send us typed or handwritten letters along with any pictures* and we’ll transcribe your text.
4site@thesmartclub.com Letters should be sent to: ‘4site’ magazine thesmartclub ltd PO Box 28549 Edinburgh EH4 5WB UK
Click ‘SUBMIT’ and you’re done!
We’ll acknowledge all submissions received and advise you when/if your article is being included. * Note that any pictures posted to us cannot be returned. ‘4site’ is an international magazine for smart car owners and enthusiasts – your magazine and your opportunity to share your smart life with others! " ‘4site’ magazine ‘4site’ is an independent quarterly magazine produced, published and distributed by thesmartclub ltd. The magazine is not for sale, resale or commercial redistribution. All content © thesmartclub 2008 and global Daimler media © 2008 Daimler AG. All rights reserved. The welcome reading image © Lensara, star ratings © Oleg Komarov, submit button © Kiankhoon, email image © Tomislav Stajduhar, club news girl © Andres Rodgiruez, fuel nozzle © Yap Hong Chan and girl writing © Showface | Dreamstime.com. Front and rear magazine cover design and composition by Oliver Whittaker. thesmartclub is a brand of thesmartclub ltd, Company number SC259434, registered in Scotland, UK. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information given herein is accurate, no legal responsibility is accepted by thesmartclub ltd nor its associated third party companies for any errors, omissions or misleading statements. Views expressed in ‘4site’ are not necessarily those of thesmartclub ltd. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the firms whose advertisements appear within this publication however thesmartclub ltd cannot accept responsibility for the offers made by the advertisers even when making specific offers to Members of thesmartclub ltd.
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Dealership News smart centre Saarbrucken Mit einer Werkstattauslastungsquote von 93 Prozent gehort das Smart-Center Saaubrucken zu den Spitzenreitern in der „Fit for Service“Studie vox Exxon Mobil. Fur den Geschaftsfuhrer des Saarbrucker SmartCenters, Uwe Conrad, ist dies das Ergebnis des Unternehmenskonzepts: „Auch 1000 Aktivitaten mussen hundertprozentig umgesetzt werden.“ Conrad und sein Team sind Smart-Handler der ersten Stunde. Sia haben 2006 den „kfzbetrieb“-Vertriebs-Award erhalten, sie wurden von DaimlerChrysler als Autohaus des Jahres ausgezeichnet, sie haben den ersten Platz unter allen Smart-Centern bei der Kundenzufriedenheit im Verkauf und im Service erreicht. Auch das schwierige Autojahr 2007 war fur die Saarbrucker erfolgreich. „Wir haben mehr Neuwagen absetzen konnen als geplant und sind auch mit dem Service- und Werkstattgeschaft mehr als zufrieden“, zieht der
Die Wekstatt ist functional, sauber und hell und verfugt uber einen integrierten Direktannahmeplatz. Zu diesem gelangt der Kunde von der Auftragsannahme bequem und trockenen Fusses. Gemeinsam mit dem Kunden begutachtet Serviceleiter Letter jedes Fahrzeug anhand einer standardisierten Checkliste. Den gesamten Auftragsumfang erfasst und erklart er dem Kunden beim Rundgang um das Auto. Die einzelleistungen fuhrt er detailliert auf. Das Aufzeigen einer geringen Profiltiefe an den Reifen oder der Verweis auf ein aktuelles attraktives Angebot sorgen fur erfreuliche Umsatzsteigerungen im Teileund Zubehorgeschaft, von denen auch die Mitarbeiter finanziell profitieren. Abschliessend ermittelt der Serviceleiter den Gesamtpreisund der Kunde zeichnet den Auftragsumfang gegen. Letzlich werden ein Termin fur die Abholung des Fahrzeugs und die Zahlungsbedingungen – ECKarte oder bar – verbindlich vereinbart. Die Abweichquote zwischen diesem Angebot und der tatsachlichen Rechnung betragt im Schnitt unter zehn Prozent – was fur den kunden Planungssicherheit bedeutet. Die Quote „Auto fertig – Rechnung fertig“ konnte Letter auf 97 Prozent steigern. Ebenso wichtig ist dem Smart-Center Saarbrucken, die Mobilitat des Kunden fur den Zeitraum der Fahrzeugwartung sicherzustellen. „Wir verfugen uber einen Hol- und Bringdienst, stellen Fahrzeuge zur Verfugung oder bieten Billets fur den Statd- und Nahverkehr“, erklart Werner Letter. Lediglich die Mofas kamen beim Kunden nicht so gut an. Deshalb wurden sie von der Liste gestrichen.
Centerleiter eine vorlaufige Bilanz. „Konsequenz bestimmt unser Handeln“, kommentiert Centerleiter Conrad die Erfolgsgeschichte seines Hauses. „Wir sind anders – aber nicht aus Prinzip, sonderm um des Erfolges willen. Wir haben unsere Prozesse auf die Bedurfnisse des Kunden abgestimmt.“ Die Konsequenz spiegelt sich auch in der Direktannahme des Unternehmens wider. Mit 95 Prozent Direktannahmen fuhrt das Saarbrucker Smart-Center das Feld der im Rahmen der Studie befragten 14 Betriebe unangefochten an.
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Die Ergebnisse der Prozesse sprechen fur das Konzept: Die Problemerkennung durch den Serviceberater liegt bei rund 90 Prozent. Damit befindet sich das Smart-Center Saarbrucken bei der Best-Practices-Auswertung unter allen Teilnehmern unter den Top 3. Telefinate mit dem Kunden zur Reparatureweiterung bleiben mit einer Quote von unter zehn Prozent die Ausnahme. Nach den Wartungs- oder Reparaturabeiten reinigt der betrieb alle Fahrzeuge sorgfaltig innen und aussen – „Dies ist ein Beleg fur unseren sorgfaltigen Umgang mit dem Eigentum des Kunden“, argumentiert Werner Letter. Anhand des vorgeschriebenen Inspektionsplans fuhrt der Meister den abschliessenden Qualitatscheck durch. „Wir haben unsere Prozesse an die Anforderungen der Kunden angepasst, ohne unsere Identitat ze
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Dealership News
smart Taunton
verlieren“, formuliert Centerleiter Conrad seine Anspruche. „Wir verstehen es, dem Kunden die Notwendigkeit bestimmter Ablaufe zu vermitteln und ihn so activ in die Strukturen einzubeziehen.“ Nur so ist es moglich, die knappe Frequenz von 15-minutigen Direktannahme-Intervallen storungsfrei zu realisieren und trotzdem ausreichend Zeit fur jeden Kunden zu haben. Submitted by Dirk Eickmeier
smart car tops UKHO’s eco charts Staff at the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) in Taunton took their environmental drive quite literally when they borrowed a smart car from their local Mercedes-Benz retailer. UKHO Corporate Transport Officer, Simon Hards, loaned a smart passion cabriolet to transport members of the nautical chart, products and services provider’s Executive Committee during an Eco Hydro week of green activities to celebrate World Environment Day.
Fit For Service Mit der Studie „Fit For Service“ liefert Exxon mobil dem Handel nicht nur eine umfassende Bestandsaufnahme der aktuellen Situation im automobilen Service- und Wekstattgeschaft. Vielmehr sollen die Ergebnisse und Beispiele aus der Praxis der 14 teilnehmenden Betriebe eine aktive Unterstutzung zur Bewaltigung der grossen Herausforderung bieten, die das Geschaftsfeld „Service“ bereithalt. Best Practices und nachweislich erfolgreiche Massnahmen werden anschaulich dargestellt – fur interessierte Handler attraktives Anschauugsmaterial, um vielleicht auch selbst mehr Erlose im Service zu erzielen. Die Studie ist fur 49 Euro unter i.kalinowski@lc-auto-consult.de zu bestellen.
Chosen for its ultra-low emission credentials, the smart turned out to be not only environmentallyfriendly but economical too – averaging 60 miles to the gallon. “It proved to be an ideal car for town and urban use,” said Mr Hards. Mercedes-Benz of Taunton’s Sales Manager Mo Choudhury added: “We were only too pleased to help our neighbours at UKHO when they approached us with their idea. With environmental issues and the economy never far from the headlines, they are now among a growing number of people who are being won over by the attributes of the smart car.”
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Dealership News smart USA The Launch of smart USA Insider This June, smart USA launched its official social networking community designed for smart enthusiasts, www.smartusainsider.com. In the first week alone, over 4,000 owners and enthusiasts signed up to participate in and interact with this new online platform. The smart USA Insider website was designed to help smart enthusiasts stay connected to each other and the smart brand, and to complement the information provided on www.smartusa.com. The smart USA Insider website offers many networking features found on other popular social websites, including messaging boards, groups, media uploads, customizable profile page creation, blogs, and ‘friend’ list formation. The new website will also give smart enthusiasts access to special reports and updates directly from smart USA Headquarters. However, the site will not provide any vehicle technical assistance or response to product issue inquiries by smart USA. The decision to build this online community was
based upon the overwhelmingly positive response to the smart fortwo in the United States, as well as the growing smart ownership population since the vehicle went on sale in January 2008 – in fact, the 10,000th car was delivered in late June. smart USA developed the site around aspects of the smart lifestyle – being open minded, interactive and socially conscious. The results have been exceptional. In addition to the initial surge of membership on the website, the frequent and spirited posts to forums, photo galleries and event calendars have demonstrated the excitement that the smart brand has brought to the United States. As one member stated: “I love this site! It's awesome to read about other people that have the same experiences! I've never had a car that has ever attracted the kind of attention that this car gets.” The smart USA Insider website is not only for American smart enthusiasts. smart owners from all over the world are invited to participate on the website by visiting www.smartusainsider.com and sharing their experiences with others. approximately a 1 year wait for a smart fortwo. Submitted by Ken Kettenbeil, Director Communications, smart USA
smartville News Hambach, France The one millionth smart (covering the fortwo and Roadster models) will be produced at Hambach, France this summer celebrated by a number of festivities and parties for staff at the plant.
With the global environmental concerns in everyone’s mind, the concept of the electric car has long been a topic for discussion. Always at the forefront of such innovation, Daimler AG has launched into the battle and Dr. Dieter Zetsche, President Daimler AG, have just formalised the production series of the electric smart fortwo from 2012 representing a significant milestone for the brand. You may already be aware that a test is currently underway in London with a fleet of 100 fortwo evs with plans to extend this trial to other capitals next year
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With 13300 sales in June, smart continues to show its strength amidst the rising cost of fuel. Indeed, even in the USA, which has long been seen as having comparatively low fuel prices, consumers are now also being impacted by significant increases in fuel prices meaning a demand for smaller more fuel efficient vehicles. This is reflected in the fact that over 11400 smart fortwos have now been sold in North America in the 6 month period from mid January to early July which bodes well for future sales in the US.
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News from smart
The association has close contacts with press, radio and television which enables it to support non-profit-making objectives concerning all aspects of cars, technology and traffic.
Stuttgart – April 16th 2008
The organisation awards the "MPC car book prize" every year in five categories and also the highly coveted author prize - which the makers of the new smart book were able to take home this year. This year the jury included well-known personalities such as Chris Bangle (head designer at BMW), Prof. Dr. Florian Hufnagel (Director Pinakothek der Moderne, Design), Holger Jung (advertising agency Jung von Matt), Wolfgang Peters (FAZ) and Michael Ramstetter (editor-in chief ADAC Motorwelt). The highly regarded "Motor Presse Club" has awarded the author prize 2008 to the book "sideways. a smart art project" which was recently presented.
"sideways" was officially presented within the framework of the US market launch in New York in March 2008 and it is available from the publisher dgv and in book stores at a price of € 29.90.
The distinguished jury of the "MPC car book prize" awards this special prize every year for outstanding literary achievement in the field of car books. For the award-winning book, smart and the publishing house "Gestalten Verlag Berlin" asked artists to submit contributions on the subject of the environment and smart.
smart of Cardiff smart of Swansea
More than 100 creative professionals from around the world from the fields of photography, graphic design, painting, architecture and fashion styling present their artistic works on 248 pages. They tackle the question of ecology and mobility and provide fresh and thoughtprovoking ideas. smart has been concerned with the question of how urban mobility can be made environmentally compatible since the birth of the brand. This book from smart - for years the car make with the production vehicle boasting the lowest CO2 emissions worldwide - shows that environmental considerations can be approached hand in hand with good aesthetic design. The Motor Presse Club e.V. (MPC) is an association of journalists, publicists and industry employees.
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News from smart Stuttgart – July 11th 2008 From October 2008 the standard equipment of the 45 kW/61 bhp and 52 kW/71 bhp petrol-engined smart fortwo models will include micro hybrid drive (mhd) technology with a user-friendly automatic start-stop system. Furthermore, from the autumn of 2008 the smart fortwo cdi will be equipped with a closed diesel particulate filter that almost completely eradicates particulate emissions 45 kW and 52 kW petrol engines with micro hybrid drive (mhd) as standard The smart micro hybrid drive (mhd) automatic start-stop function has proven itself since 2007, although to date it has only been available for the 52kW/71 bhp model. To reduce the fuel costs for the smart fortwo, the two petrol models with 45 kW/61 bhp and 52 kW/71 bhp engines are now being fitted with the start-stop automatic function as standard**. This reduces the consumption of both versions in the combined cycle by around eight percent (to 4.3* litres, NEDC). CO2 emissions are reduced to 103* grams per kilometre. In urban traffic with frequent stop-and-go situations savings of almost 20 percent are even possible. 7 out of 10 customers in Europe who opt for a petrol engine will now drive with this environmentallyfriendly technology. smart has realised the idea behind the automatic start-stop system in a particularly clever way: the control electronics shut down the engine as soon as the driver brakes and the vehicle's speed falls below 8 km/h - for example when approaching traffic lights. The engine starts again in the fraction of a second as soon as the driver releases the brake pedal. In this way the fuel consumption is reduced even further. The smart fortwo's automated manual transmission is perfectly tuned to the automatic start-stop system. The driver only needs to accelerate and brake - no clutchwork or gear changing is ever needed. This fully automatic function of the smart fortwo with mhd technology makes it easy to save fuel and emissions. Closed diesel particulate filter for the CO2 champion smart fortwo cdi smart is also improving the environmental footprint of the diesel model in model year 2009 with a new closed diesel particulate filter instead of the open version that was previously used. With combined consumption of 3.4 litres per 100 kilometres (NEDC), the smart fortwo cdi with a 33kW/45 bhp engine continues to be the world's production car with the lowest consumption and, with emissions of 88g/km, it is still the CO2 champion. Fresh colours, new sporty alloy wheels and interior features smart is also freshening up its palette with striking new colours. The elegantly pleasing "grey metallic" and the sporty intensive "rally red" are new in the portfolio. This means that customers still have a choice of six colours, which enable a total of twelve colour combinations in conjunction with the two colours for the tridion safety cell. New sporty six-spoke alloy wheels in titanium silver measuring 175/55 R 15 at the front and 195/50 R 15 at the rear are optionally available. The new alloy wheels are also available in a chrome look as an accessory product. To match the new "rally red" paintwork the colour "design red" has now been updated and harmonised for the upholstery and fabric elements in the interior of the passion line. A redesigned instrument cluster with an enhanced LCD display will be an eye-catching feature on the instrument panel in future. The fuel gauge is now positioned centrally at the bottom and is supplemented by a permanently displayed digital clock and exterior temperature indicator. Further new equipment details include net pockets in the doors on the driver and passenger side which offer greater storage space. The updated smart fortwo models can be ordered from smart dealers now. * provisional figures, coupé ** mhd not available in the USA and Canada
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July 2008
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News from smart Stuttgart – July 7th 2008 On July 2, 1998, a vehicle with an entirely new concept first rolled off the assembly line: the smart fortwo. On that date an extraordinary success story commenced in Hambach, France. Until now, the compact two-seater has become the vehicle of choice of more than 900,000 customers in 37 countries. The smart fortwo soon got cult status and is the only automobile which is still in production to be displayed at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Since beginning of 2008 the smart is being successfully sold in the U.S. and starting from mid 2009 it will also be available in China. For 2010 the first smart electric drive of the current vehicle generation is planned. Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars: “The smart fortwo is a unique car that combines driving pleasure with lifestyle and exemplary fuel efficiency. The two-seater convinces customers worldwide, thanks to its outstanding safety features, the distinctive smart design, as well as top quality, reliability, and economy. The smart fortwo is a clever solution and fun to drive. Had we not invented it ten years ago, we would have to do so now.” smart sales approaching the one million mark In the tenth year since its market launch, the smart fortwo can look back on an impressive sales development. The trendy two-seater has not only become successfully established on the market during this time; over 150,000 customers have purchased a second-generation smart fortwo since the model was introduced in March 2007. All in all, far more than 900,000 smart fortwos have been delivered to customers since the two-seater was launched in 1998. The smart fortwo in particular is the choice of customers with an individual lifestyle in many major cities all over the world. Whereas the car was initially offered in Germany and eight other European countries, the innovative two-seater is now sold in 37 countries on five continents, including in the U.S., South Africa, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mexico, Australia, Malaysia, and Canada. smart fortwo electric drive to be introduced in 2010 At the end of last year, smart launched a pilot project in London, for which the company and selected fleet customers are jointly testing 100 smart fortwo electric drive to determine how the vehicles perform under conditions encountered in everyday use. “We are currently developing a smart fortwo with electric drive and lithium-ion batteries, and we plan to introduce an electric drive version of the current smart generation in 2010,” said Zetsche.“
smart soon in China The smart fortwo will also be available to Chinese customers from mid 2009 on, allowing the brand to enter another major automotive market. The vehicle is in effect custom-tailored to meet the needs of the increasing numbers of customers buying small cars in China. “In China, too, we are observing growing customer interest in our highquality and economical smart fortwo. I am sure that many lifestyle-oriented customers in China’s cities will soon come to love its unique concept,” said Dr. Zetsche when smart’s entry into the Chinese market was announced at Auto China in April 2008.
www.thesmartclub.com
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‘4site’
July 2008
thesmartclub ltd … be part of the world’s largest independent club for all things smart
www.thesmartclub.com
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‘4site’
July 2008