smart has not been Daimler’s best investment. They’ve reportedly failed to produce profits since conception and there are talks of Daimler selling it off to Geely. Whatever the case, what’s clear is that smart has ONE good thing going for it: it aims to be the first brand to make the switch from petrol to electricity. Hold on, this is actually more groundbreaking than it sounds.
You’re probably sitting there thinking companies like Nissan already made the switch with cars like the LEAF. Or brands like Tesla were 100% electric nearly a decade ago. But what smart are doing is slightly different. What they’re saying is that they’re going to be the first car brand to switch their portfolio from traditional internal combustion engines to electric. Nissan still sells plenty of diesels and petrols alongside the LEAF and Tesla never had ICE powered vehicles to start off with anyway.
They aim to make the switch to 100% EVs in 2020. smart has done all-electric cars in the past. Back in 2007, they delivered 100 EVs in London becoming the first European car maker to do a series-production of electric cars.
To celebrate on last puff of smoke, smart have released what they’re calling the ‘Final Collector’s Edition’. These were designed by German industrial designer Konstantin Grcic and made in collaboration with Brabus.
There are a few noteworthy things about this edition.
- 21 cars for the final edition signify 21 years of smart’s existence
- the collaboration with Grcic mirror’s smart’s philosophy of working with artists since the brand’s conception
- the yellow in the front was an original colour available in early year cars. It’s called ‘hello yellow’
About Konstantin Grcic
Konstantin Grcic (1965) learned cabinet making at the John Makepeace School in Dorset, England, before going on to study design at the Royal College of Art in London. In 1991 he established his own design studio in Munich, from where he has since relocated to Berlin. He works in various areas at his studio, from projects in the area of industrial and furniture design through exhibition design to collaborations in the fields of architecture and fashion. Works by Konstantin Grcic are included in the permanent collections of the world’s leading design museums (including MoMA/New York, Centre Georges Pompidou/Paris). Grcic defines function in a human context and combines an austere approach to design with considerable mental acuity and humour. A profound understanding of design and architecture and a passion for technology and materials inform each one of his works. Well known for items stripped down to their essentials, Grcic is often described as ‘minimalist’, though he himself prefers the term ‘simplicity’.
