Smart E-scooter Concept Planned For Paris Motor Show This September

2009 BMW C1-E Concept

Smart is set to reveal a new electric-powered single-track vehicle at the Paris motor show in September in what sources at parent company Mercedes-Benz describe as the first step in a newly established diversification plan for its struggling city-car division.

The new two-wheeler, which is said to take the form of a plug-in scooter, is being developed as part of a new, broad-based mobility strategy aimed at taking Smart into market segments beyond the ForTwo and an upcoming rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive successor to its short-lived, first-generation ForFour, due to be launched in 2013.

“Smart was originally established to tackle the need for improved mobility, especially in congested city environments. Up to now we have concentrated our efforts on four-wheel solutions. The next stage is to look at how to expand beyond this with other environmentally friendly vehicles,” a senior Mercedes-Benz official said.

While clouded in secrecy, insiders at the German carmaker's headquarters in Stuttgart say the new Smart scooter is being developed in conjunction with a number of prominent component supplier companies and could be produced in a number of different factories around the world, including existing plants in China, India and Thailand if a production go-ahead is granted.

Mercedes-Benz recently entered into a $190 million (150 million euros) initiative with German energy supplier ENBW that will see up to 500 electric scooters placed on the streets of Stuttgart in coming months. The venture, which will see the establishment of dedicated charging stations around the city, is described as being a central component in plans to create an infrastructure for the beginning of in-the-field testing of the new Smart scooter within the next 12 months.

The plug-in electric Smart scooter is seen as a response to BMW's efforts to revive the clever but expensive C1--the roofed bike developed and produced in a partnership among BMW, Bertone and Rotax--as a pure electric vehicle, as previewed by last year's C1-E concept.

Source: Autoweek