As smart attempt to drive more interest in its products from American customers, the diminutive car maker has revealed its take on an America icon; the pickup.
The new tongue-in-cheek concept not only challenges what an urban pickup should look like but also how it is driven. Powered by 17.6 kWh lithium ion battery and a 55kw magneto-electric motor, the smart for-us is free from belching out tailpipe emissions. Using the same drivetrain as powers the smart fortwo electric drive(which is set to launch this spring), the new smart for-us develops 130 Nm of torque and travels up to a top speed of 120km/h (74.6mph).
Around a metre long than the standard smart fortwo, the pick-up model is actually slightly narrower than the fortwo model (around 50cm) but adds a little in head room (around 20cm) to transform the model into a load carrier. As you can see from the picture, the car offers room for two people and space for two smart ebikes behind them.
smart CEO Dr. Annette Winkler says: "We at smart love pickups – if they are small on the outside, large on the inside, very safe and extremely comfortable. With the smart for-us a petrol station is no longer required!”
The car uses a longer wheelbase (2480 mm, an increase of 613 mm) and the track that has been widened by 5 cm on each side also emphasise the robust look of the study. At the same time the extremely short overhangs at the front and rear make it exceedingly compact.
The tailboard at the rear of the smart for-us is electrically driven. When it opens first of all the cargo floor including tailboard retracts by 28 cm, then the tailgate slides down in a parallel position, giving easy access to the 900 mm cargo area.
There is currently no plans to bring the smart for-us into production.
