Daimler AG is a large corporation, spanning from city cars such as the smart fortwo to no-nonsense sports cars like the Mercedes-AMG GT R. But did you ever imagine what happens if smart and Mercedes-AMG were to join hands for once? Pixel artist Felipe Guzzo did exactly that, and the rendered mashup exceeds every expectation.
The most telling influences from the 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8-powered donor comes in the form of the Green Hell Magno exterior paint and Panamericana grille up front. Look even closer and you’ll notice gold-painted calipers for the carbon-ceramic braking system, as well as center-lock wheels painted in black. Unfortunately, smart and Mercedes-AMG will never create this sort of automobile.
In addition to Mercedes-AMG keeping the performance game up there with the best of them, smart is going through a fair share of trouble. Sales are underperforming, the brand plans to make do without internal combustion, and Annette Winkler has been replaced by Katrin Adt as chief executive officer of the Boblingen-based automaker.
What’s hurting smart the most is the company’s irrelevance in markets such as the United States of America. Adding insult to injury, a city car that cost nearly as much as a subcompact crossover doesn’t make sense for most people, not when their money is on the line and their priority is to get the best value possible out of their purchase.
To this effect, smart will try a different approach. In addition to going all-electric in every market where there’s a dealership, the company will help Daimler AG in its push for complete electrification. More to the point, the smart plant in France will get an overhaul to support production of an EQ electric vehicle that will be sold by Mercedes-Benz.
The transformation of smart into an all-electric automaker started long time ago, but with the arrival of the EQ nightsky Edition, smart is gearing up for the electrified future just as seriously as Mercedes-Benz is. On that note, the Mercedes-Benz EQ C compact luxury crossover will debut in September with GLC-Class-based underpinnings and a range of around 500 kilometers.
In addition to Mercedes-AMG keeping the performance game up there with the best of them, smart is going through a fair share of trouble. Sales are underperforming, the brand plans to make do without internal combustion, and Annette Winkler has been replaced by Katrin Adt as chief executive officer of the Boblingen-based automaker.
What’s hurting smart the most is the company’s irrelevance in markets such as the United States of America. Adding insult to injury, a city car that cost nearly as much as a subcompact crossover doesn’t make sense for most people, not when their money is on the line and their priority is to get the best value possible out of their purchase.
To this effect, smart will try a different approach. In addition to going all-electric in every market where there’s a dealership, the company will help Daimler AG in its push for complete electrification. More to the point, the smart plant in France will get an overhaul to support production of an EQ electric vehicle that will be sold by Mercedes-Benz.
The transformation of smart into an all-electric automaker started long time ago, but with the arrival of the EQ nightsky Edition, smart is gearing up for the electrified future just as seriously as Mercedes-Benz is. On that note, the Mercedes-Benz EQ C compact luxury crossover will debut in September with GLC-Class-based underpinnings and a range of around 500 kilometers.