European Cars. Europe Auto Market News

Smart has recently redesigned the Fortwo and is now bringing it to America as both a coupe and a convertible.
Conceived by Swiss watchmaker Swatch and designed in conjunction with Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz, the Smart Fortwo microcar has been all the rage in traffic-choked European cities since its introduction in 1998.
The Fortwo’s 1-liter 3-cylinder engine puts out 70 horsepower and 68 lb-ft of torque. Smart claims the Fortwo — which weighs 1808 lbs, 600 lbs less than a Honda Fit — gets to 60 MPH in a lazy 12.8 seconds and tops out at 90. In reality, pickup is snappy, if not quite quick, and the Smart putters along happily at 75 MPH, though it struggles on steep hills.
Fuel economy is good, though not as good as you might expect: I averaged 35.8 MPG. For comparison, I got 31.3 in the last Honda Fit I tested. To make matters worse, the Smart requires premium fuel.

Brabus has presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Ultimate 112, starting from Smart ForTwo.

Brabus Ultimate 112

Few details about Brabus Ultimate 112:
- painted in orange;
- leather interior and Alcantara, with many orange accessories;
- Brabus body-kit;
- Brabus Monoblock VI rims;
- 205/35 R18 tyres in the front and 205/30 R18 tyres in the back;
- changeable suspension;
- turbo engine with 110 hp at 5,750 rpm and a maximum torque of 150 Nm at 2,800- 4,200 rpm;
- accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.5 seconds;
- top speed of 170 km/h, electronically limited;
- Brabux alloy evacuation.
Brabus Ultimate 112 was made in a limited edition of 112 pieces and will have a price of €45,900.