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. This reduces the NEDC consumption of the two naturally aspirated engines by an average of 8 percent. In city traffic fuel savings of almost 20 percent are even possible. 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. The equipment of the innovative two-seater is being upgraded by an instrument cluster with a new design featuring enhanced indicating instruments and new door net pockets among other things. Two new colours "grey metallic" and "rally red" are a fresh new highlight, as are the optional new sporty six-spoke alloy wheels.

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. 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 Europewho opt for a petrol engine will now drive with this environmentally-friendly 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.

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. The new system reduces the particulate mass in the exhaust gas to a minimum and, thanks to intelligent engine control, it is virtually maintenance-free with a long filter service life. 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. In future it will also hold a top position in terms of particulate emissions.

News provided by www.electric-smart-car.co.uk