Let’s hope Carbonyte doesn’t get sued by Daimler for this one. Creator’s of the world’s first Ferrari limousine now bring you the world’s only stretched SmartCar, the Carbonyte Smaaart.

Led by ex-McLaren man Chris Wright, Carbonyte took Benz’s Smart ForTwo and stretched its chassis by 2700mm, creating a 17 feet Smart. So you’re probably wondering how that little engine under the Smart’s hood pulls this 17-footer. Well Carbonyte says that due to its ligthweight alloy chassis the Smaaart can still travel comfortably at 80mph.

The prototype Smaaart is currently just a promo vehicle but Carbonyte says individual clients can lease or purchase it at a projected cost of £25,000, with almost any theme in the centre. Carbonyte is also looking to offer the Smaaart in the funeral industry as a hearse for those who want to die environmentally-friendly style.

Carbonyte Smaaart ForTwo:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has found a safety concern in side-impact testing for the new 2008 Smart ForTwo micro car. NHTSA is saying as a result of side-impact the driver or passenger can be ejected about 8-feet from the vehicle.

However, the government still gave the ForTwo a five star rating for side testing due to its ability to protect the driver and passenger from serious injuries in a crash. What the heck does that mean? Well according to Rae Tyson, NHTSA spokesman, ratings are based on the level of protection a vehicle provides to the people in the car, however, the government still wanted to adress the possible safety hazard of the people being ejected from the car. Right.

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This year’s crop of new droptops doesn’t follow the ‘green’ trend — most are built for performance and speed.

Improvements in folding tops and other technology make convertibles much better suited to year-round driving than in the past, which means you now have fewer excuses not to buy one.

The latest crop of new and significantly revamped convertibles highlighted in our list of Hottest Convertibles of 2008 brings even more refinement, performance, and comfort.

Click through for the list of the Top 12 Hottest Convertibles of 2008.

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Since Daimler started selling its cars in the U.S. this past January, Smart cars are now available in 37 countries worldwide. Daimler announced today that Smart has sold a total 100,000 units of its new ForTwo, representing a sales increase of more than 80 percent.

Ulrich Kowalewski, director of Mercedes-Benz Center Munich, handed over the 100,000 second-generation Smart ForTwo to a 36-year-old customer.

The Smart ForTwo is most popular with customers in Italy and Germany, accounting for two-thirds of all drivers of the new model. Recently reported, Smart dealers in the U.S. are now desperate for more cars after strong sales since the brand launched in January.

Click through for the press release.

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Smart ForTwo is enjoying success in the North American market and is selling quite well in regions other than LA and New York. According to CEO of Penseke Automotive Group, Roger Penske, dealers in middle America are now desperate for more cars.

Penske said that the Smart ForTwo is selling heavily with more options than originally expected. The average Smart ForTwo is loaded with $1,600 in options. Fully loaded versions account for 10 percent of the cars sold.

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Forget the kids and cargo — you can ride in high style as a true individualist thanks to the latest crop of coupes.

More than 26,000 Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedans were sold in the U.S. last year, according to CNW Marketing Research in Bandon, Ore., but only 3,672 people bought its striking two-door equivalent, the CL-Class.

Don’t get the wrong idea — the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class is not a bad car. It’s just less convenient for drivers who sometimes need to take along more than one passenger.

Click through for the list of the Top 10 Hottest Coupes of 2008.

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That brand new Audi S5, Lotus Exige S or Corvette Z06 you’re dying to own may seem a little expensive now but one day those very cars could be collector items that you could auction off for a couple of hundred thousand dollars at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale. Hagerty Insurance, an insurance company that specializes in protecting collector cars, has created a list of 10 new cars for sale in 2008 that it believes have the greatest potential to be collector items in 15-20 years.

And according to their list, even the frugal consumer can one day auction off his/her car for a couple of hundred thousand dollars – well, if you’re willing to wait 15-20 years. Prices of the cars on the list range from $12,000 to more than $70,000, while horsepower ranges from 70 to more than 500.

Click through for Hagerty’s list.

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Pitching the new Smart ForTwo as the ‘perfect’ car for a concerned parent’s teenager, David Schembri, president of SmartCar USA, noted that since there is no rear seat in the new compact 2-seater, there will be no hanky-panky going on in your kid’s car.

Speaking at the Automotive News World Congress, Schembri said, “After all, what better car to have for your teenager than one without a backseat.”

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In a long distance test, or as we would call it, a publicity stunt, Smart and Mercedes-Benz took a trip from Los Angeles to Detroit for the 2008 NAIAS in a Smart ForTwo micro hybrid drive, two Smart ForTwo CDIs and a Mercedes E 320 BLUETEC.

On the 2,734 mile trip the Smart ForTwo mhd recorded an averaged fuel-economy of 49mpg while the two Smart ForTwo CDIs managed 60mpg. The Mercedes-Benz E 320 BLUETEC had an average fuel-economy of 40mpg. (All figures here are converted to U.S. miles per gallon).

The trip from Los Angeles to Detroit took the convoy seven days, with the large part of the trip consisting of the legendary Route 66. Media representatives from Germany, Italy and the U.S. took turns at the wheel.

Click through for more images and the press release.

Mercedes and Smart Road Trip from LA to Detroit:

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So we wake up this morning to a bunch of sites reporting that Smart is ready for a January launch, and we’re thinking, “Yeah we knew that back in September? What’s new?” Heck, we even know the pricing for the ForTwo which was released on September 5th.

Well supposedly Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of Daimler AG, was hanging out in DC yesterday for the U.S. market press briefing. Giving us the low down on Smart’s initiative in the U.S. Zetsche told the media about an upcoming hybrid and an upcoming electric version of the Smart ForTwo for the U.S. However Zetsche said one thing that got us really excited.

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Big changes are coming for the auto industry, and the most significant new vehicles — from the Cadillac CTS to the Nissan GT-R — seem ready to deliver on all the hopes that are riding on their success.

Heading into 2008, American luxury carmakers are poised for a comeback, strides are being made in alternative fuels and safety, and the “bigger is better” mantra from U.S. consumers is starting to show signs of fading.

Click through to see the list of the Top 10 Most Significant New Vehicles for 2008.

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Smart will be entering the United States non-existent microcar segment in about 2 months with their Smart ForTwo, and already the company sees hybrid variants on our roads within the next two years.

According to David Schembri, president of Smart USA, “A micro-hybrid is a derivative that you could see here in the next two years.” He also said that a full rechargeable all-electric variant is only a few years away.

Schembri also said that Smart is looking forward to rivals for microcars in the U.S. since that would show that the segment has a large market and potential to grow.

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According to a recent national study the American drivers hung out in traffic for a total of 4.2 billion hours in 2005, up from previous years. That means divers supposedly waste nearly an entire work week each year sitting in traffic on the way to and from their jobs.

So why not waste your life in traffic in the best and most comfortable way possible. According to Forbes, the “best commuter cars are comfortable, smooth-riding and spacious inside relative to their exterior footprint. They’re maneuverable, safe and fuel-efficient.”

Based on those criteria, Forbes tested models in a variety of segments to select their list of the Top 10 Best Cars for Commuters.

Click through for the list.

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