Business smarts 13: Niagara Helicopters

Photo taken by ALT at Club Smartcar's CIAS cruise

In the more than thirty years since Niagara Helicopters started business in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, the corporation has undergone a change of location and several changes of name as well as ownership, but one thing has remained co nstant: since 1961, visitors from all over the world have been flying over the world's most famous falls.

Source: official website of Niagara Helicopters

Five fine show tuners: Brabus Smart Canada 1

Photo by Rupert Lloyd Thomas



By Peter Bleakney
Toronto Star Sat, Feb 25

Okay. So this car isn't a Sport Compact Revolution, built I couldn't leave it off my list because it's just so darned cute.
The Canada 1 Concept is a one-off prototype that Mercedes-Benz has brought to the show to gauge public reaction.
This fortwo Cabrio has been lightly breathed upon by the German tuning firm Brabus and was created specifically for the Canadian market, eh.
It features 15-inch Brabus wheels, a bespoke body kit, colour-keyed exterior and interior trim and custom quilted seats with red stitching. There are no mechanical modifications.
If M-B sees enough interest they'll run off a batch of 10 to 40 Brabus Smarts and ship them over.
Here's the rub. The Mercedes rep told me the car will come in at about 40,000 loonies, which sounds a bit loony to me.
In fact, I wouldn't feel very smart at all telling my friends I paid 15 grand for an appearance package. But I still want one.

'Smart Cars' Make Their Debut In Loveland

By Mike Hooker(CBS4) LOVELAND, Colo.
A popular European car made its way to Loveland, making it the third city in the United States to have them. [According to this site's video clip they are also being sold in St. Louis & Phoenix.] The owner of Mountain View Motors is hoping that Colorado drivers will choose the "Smart Car" for its looks and gas mileage.The cars are called smart cars because they are small, fuel efficient, and easy to park. The back of the car has a little bit of storage space and the cover to the engine."It has an amazing amount of power," said Bob Hunt, owner of Mountain View Motors. "We've heard reports that people are getting 60 miles per hour pretty regularly."On some of the models, the roofs are glass making it easy to see through."They're cute," said a potential buyer. "It's just a new way of looking at transportation."Hunt's new batch of cars are only demo. He bought them in Europe and had them slightly modified to be legal in the U.S. The engine in the smart car is a 3-cylinder with a turbo charger to give it more power. Each car will cost about $25,000.

View video at source.

Note: there is no mention of ZAP! in the article.


Mountain View Motors
2400 N Lincoln Ave
Loveland, CO 80538
T: 970-663-2200
F: 970-663-1438

Fiat Panda Hydrogen

Protecting the environment is a key factor for Fiat Auto in the development of future models. In this context, the presentation of the Panda Hydrogen is merely the latest expression of a process of evolution, which in recent years has placed Fiat in a leading role on an international scale.
In particular, Fuel Cell technology for automotive applications is a subject of great interest among major manufacturers, which through research and the development of demonstration prototypes, are confirming the technology's real potential and environmental advantages. In this dynamic context, Fiat Auto introduces the Panda Hydrogen. As part of a larger research programme, Fiat is using this revolutionary model to explore new technology, evaluate how the car behaves in real-world conditions and assess its environmental advantages.
While Fuel Cell based drivetrains will almost certainly not be available on a large scale until at least the end of the next decade, Fiat Auto has already been actively researching this solution for a number of years, as shown in 2001 by the debut of the 'Elettra H2 Fuel Cell' and, more recently, by the Seicento Hydrogen. Both prototypes were produced by the Fiat Research Centre in conjunction with the Ministry for the Environment. The Panda Hydrogen encapsulates what has been learnt so far, and moves on from an experimental research stage in the laboratory to real-world testing of a vehicle in the field.

Read full article here.

Smart Cars for the Olympics?

One of the highlights of [Innovation Norway - a conference focusing on Norwegian-Chinese cooperation held in Langesund, October 2005] was the launch of the Zero Emission Smart Car, a product of Miljøbil Grenland and Electrovaya of Canada. This is a significant advance over electric vehicles currently available in Europe and Asia, and the companies have high hopes for the car to become a regular feature of cityscapes from Oslo to Shanghai.
Key to the Smart Car’s success will be superior battery power. New powering technology gives the Smart Car triple the range of traditional electric vehicles, and this, according to Miljøbil Grenland’s Oddbjorn Solum, “is the breakthrough technology necessary to introduce zero-emission vehicles into Norway, Scandinavia and China.” Miljøbil Grenland is currently engaged in the commercialization phase of development, and has set a goal of offering this car to the Olympics that are to take place in Beijing in 2008.

Read source here.
Photos taken at the CIAS, Feb 2006 by Brian Spencer,with kind permission.

CIAS 2006: smart in ruby red

club smartcar cruise to the CIAS

To smart centre Mississauga for the cruise to the Toronto Auto Show -CIAS. Coffee and doughnuts courtesy of Ed & Justin, our smart specialists. Eleven strong we head out down the 401 and the Don Valley Parkway to smart centre Midtown where we hook up with some 60 odd smart cars making an estimated total of 75. We cruise down to the Rogers Centre en masse. A passing motorist asks, "Are you all together?".
Free parking on the Lakeshore and shuttle bus to the venue, courtesy of Nissan, without a hitch. The show is a bit of a zoo but we battle our way to the smart stand where the $40,000 Canada 1 racing red Brabus show car is on display. The stand is a magnet for fellow cruisers and we bump into Glen, owner of the lovely Gina, in town from London and already dreaming of a smart grandstyle special edition. We head over to the Subaru stand to view the new all electric R1e, not for sale in North America, there are only a handful on the streets in Japan. It uses new manganese lithium-ion battery technology that means it could be recharged to 90% capacity in just five minutes. But of course at present there is no network of recharging points.
We checked out the NASCAR stand briefly on our way to view the Cruise Nationals winners. Saw a splendid display called "Octagon Dreams" hosted by the MG Car Club of Toronto. We headed up into the North Hall to Transport Canada's stand where they had a smart forfour cdi on display. A spokeswoman said, "we are expecting type approval for this car in 2007 or 2008". The forfour has a 1.5 litre, 3 cylinder 12-valve diesel engine fitted with a turbocharger.
We were delighted to receive free tickets to the show from smart centre Mississauga, coupled with the free parking it made for a splendid day out at low cost. After collecting our complement of free newspapers, we cheerfully headed home.
Many thanks to club smartcar, Brian, Ed, Justin and others who made the event possible.

Pumpkin Rollers in No Man's Land

We drive a Smart to Oklahoma's Panhandle and become an object of vast and lingering amusement.
BY JOHN PHILLIPS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREG JAREM
Car and Driver, April 2005

Look at a map and you'll notice that Oklahoma resembles a human hand with an index finger pointing west, as if suggesting to occupants that a U-Haul adventure in the direction of California might be a swell idea. Not one inch of interstate freeway intrudes upon the Panhandle, and the towns are minuscule and named as if the founders had no time for reflection: Hooker, Eva, Felt, Gray, Straight, Mouser. At the eastern edge of the Panhandle is a town called Slapout, population 8. At the western edge is a town called Wheeless, population 0.

Photographer Greg Jarem and I had never met anyone who'd set foot in the Panhandle—it seemed as alien and uncharted as Neptune—so we naturally drove there in an alien car. The Smart ForTwo is 8.20 feet in length, not much longer than my living-room sofa. Feel free to correct me on this, but I feel confident we were the first persons in intergalactic history to drive a Smart into the Oklahoma Panhandle.

Read the complete article here.
Follow the long running saga of whether the smart will be sold in the USA here.
With thanks to Lynn Willmette Porter.

£15,000 for dud car parking lot

A couple have been awarded £15,000 after being sold a dud car parking space behind their Edinburgh flat.

Robert and Anne Holms cannot fit their Mercedes Estate into the space when their neighbour Fenella Mason is using her space. Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard at a civil hearing that the couple bought the car slot in Manor Place for £15,000 from developer Ashford Estates. They later found the space was blocked by Ms Mason's parking lot. The obstructing space had not been detailed on a plan shown to the Holms before they bought their flat and had been covered by building materials and a portacabin each time they viewed it. When they complained to the developers, they were advised to replace their Mercedes with a Smart Car, Mr Holms told Sheriff Gordon Liddle. Ashford director Esmond Smith, Ms Mason's partner, said he could not remember making the suggestion. Sheriff Liddle accepted the evidence given by the couple and ordered Ashford Estates to pay them £15,000. The court was told that the developers bought the building from Standard Life in 1998 and renovated the office space into five flats. The parking space is behind the couple's £160,000 basement flat.

Source: BBC News

Nanjing in talks to sell MG Rover brand: report

LONDON (Reuters) - Chinese carmaker Nanjing Automobile is in advanced talks with British businessman David James over the sale of its MG Rover brand, the Times newspaper reported on Friday.
James wants to use the name for a two-seater car based on DaimlerChrysler's discontinued Smart Roadster, according to the unsourced report. A deal could be announced as early as Friday. James could not be reached for comment.
Nanjing bought the British manufacturing icon out of bankruptcy last year. It had said it aimed to make up to 80,000 cars with the MG Rover badge each year in Britain.
A separate report in Friday's Financial Times said Nanjing and James were in talks over a joint venture that could lead to the end of production of MG Rover cars at its main plant in central England.
According to the newspaper, the venture proposes the closure of MG Rover's former hub at Longbridge and a move to a smaller site in nearby Coventry.
MG Rover collapsed under debts of 1.4 billion pounds ($2.43 billion) in April 2005, leading to 5,000 job losses at its main plant.

View source.

Nanjing in talks to sell MG Rover brand to bid rival

By Tom Bawden and Christine Buckley
DAVID JAMES, the corporate troubleshooter, is understood to be in advanced talks to buy the MG Rover brand from Nanjing, the Chinese carmaker, in a move that could sound the death knell for the Longbridge plant.
The brand would be used to badge Smart Roadster cars, until now made by Mercedes, manufactured at a factory in Coventry. Mr James is believed to have agreed to buy the design, technology and equipment of Mercedes’ Smart Roadster car for about €20 million (£13.7 million) and the now-defunct Dunlop tyre factory in Coventry for about €10 million.
He plans to buy the MG brand from Nanjing — for less than half the £53 million the Chinese company paid for the Rover group — so that he can make MG- branded Smart Roadsters. A deal could be agreed as soon as today.
Mr James lost out to Nanjing in the auction to buy the group last year but has remained interested in the business.
He is being backed by Access Capital, a private equity firm set up by Grant Gazdig, a former colleague of Robin Saunders at WestLB. He is thought to have backing from a mystery wealthy individual, as well as European American Securities, a private equity firm with about £600 million under management.
Last night the Conservative Party threw their weight behind the latest attempt by Mr James to buy MG and pressed the Department of Trade and Industry to help to facilitate the talks and to provide grants to help restart production.
Alan Duncan, Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary, said: “This is the only game in town and I am urging the DTI to help the serious prospect of reviving MG production in the West Midlands. I would like them to facilitate talks and take the move by Mr James seriously. I want to see car production restart in Britain.”
A DTI spokeswoman said that she was aware of the talks but had not received a request for help from Mr James.
Richard Burden, the Labour MP for Birmingham Northfield, which includes the Longbridge site, said: “A move away from Longbridge would be very disappointing considering Nanjing’s public statements about its commitment to this area.”
He also accused Mr Duncan of exploiting the uncertainty over the future of Longbridge for political ends. Since Nanjing has already transported most of Rover’s equipment to China, the manufacture of its flagship MG brand in Coventry would effectively sign the death knell for the Longbridge plant.
Project Kimber, the acquisition vehicle headed by Mr James, has a team of about 30 engineers ready to make the MG. The team is led by Barrie Wills, who set up a motor consultancy in 1983 and planned and managed the production launch of the Lotus Elan sports car.
Nanjing’s takeover of Rover has been the subject of speculation since it was agreed last July.

Source: www.thetimesonline.co.uk

DaimlerChrysler Reports EUR 5.2 Billion Operating Profit in 2005

- Net income of EUR 2.8 billion 2004: EUR 2.5 billion)
- Earnings per share of EUR 2.80 (2004: EUR 2.43)
- Revenues up 5% to EUR 149.8 billion
At the Mercedes Car Group, the measures taken to improve efficiency as a part of the CORE program and new products had a positive impact on operating results during the course of the year; the turnaround in earnings was achieved. Nonetheless, earnings for the full year were negative due to the realignment of the smart business model and the expenses for the personnel measures. In a difficult market environment, the Chrysler Group achieved a higher operating profit than in 2004. The Commercial Vehicles Division also developed positively in 2005 and achieved record earnings. Financial Services improved its operating profit. Other Activities’ operating profit exceeded the prior year’s result.
Unit sales of the smart brand totaled 124,300 vehicles in the year under review (2004: 152,100). As part of the restructuring program for smart that was announced in April 2005, DaimlerChrysler discontinued production of the smart roadster and development of the planned smart SUV. The workforce was reduced from 1,350 to 750 employees at smart headquarters, and there was a reduction of 125 employees at the Hambach plant. As a result of these measures, smart succeeded in reducing fixed costs by 26% in the year under review, thus achieving its goals for the year 2005.

Read the full report here.

smart crosstown

Life for this particular concept started out in a creative workshop where smart's designers were asked to conceptualize what the successor of the firm's original fortwo city car might look like. Working up from ideas to blueprints, and then quarter scale clay models before crafting a fully operational example, the crosstown gained many new and unique features. It was decided by officials that smart would use this fortwo 'experiment' as a show car, and work began on the full-size version earlier this year.
By comparison, it's only slightly larger than the fortwo, which is 2.50 m (98.4 inches) long. The crosstown, like most other smarts is a tiny vehicle, working to further the reputation of the company as a leader in micro cars. At 2.68 meters (105.5 inches) in length, with a 1.90 meter (74.8 inch) long wheelbase and equal width and height of 1.58 meters (62.2 inches), the crosstown is perfect for traffic-logged city centres. By comparison, it's only slightly larger than the fortwo, which is 2.50 m (98.4 inches) long, with a wheelbase of 1.81 m (71.3 inches), a width of 1.51 (59.4 inches) and a height of 1.55 m (61.0 inches). Miniscule overhangs of 40 cm (15.7 inches) up front and 39 cm (15.4 inches) in back would make the crosstown an easy vehicle to park.

Read full article here.

Cross-Atlantic Ambitions

Dodge puts buzz in the European B-segment

By ANDREW LUU AutoWeek Published 02/15/06, 8:23 am et

Hornet is a venerable name among American cars and in pop culture—Hudson Hornet, AMC Hornet, even The Green Hornet. So what better moniker to carry Dodge’s ambitions across the Atlantic and into the heart of the European marketplace?
This Hornet concept, which debuts at the upcoming Geneva motor show, goes after the small, spiffy and economical European B-segment. The hunched down, wide-bodied, front-wheel-drive hatch will run 0 to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds, thanks to a single-cam 1.6-liter supercharged four-cylinder that generates 170 hp and 165 lb-ft. The engine mates to a six-speed manual transmission.
While performance is important to Europeans, practicality reigns supreme in this class. The trendy interior makes the most of its compact dimensions with the front passenger seat and the rear seats all capable of folding forward to provide a flat loading bay.The rear seats track backward almost nine inches to increase legroom, and all seats use space-saving foam that is slimmer than average. Numerous storage areas, driver-side beverage cooler, a fold-out table and even a first-aid kit are also on tap.

Dodge is mum on Hornet’s production potential, but the company will gauge the Geneva buzz to determine whether the Hornet stings or gets swatted.

See source.

Think Pink

Pink Panther treat for Smart pilots
Toronto Star Feb. 16, 2006. 01:00 AM

Canadian owners of a Smart car will be eligible for a reward for their confidence in buying the small, fuel-efficient urban runabout.
Smart Canada says it will present Canada's 5,000 Smart owners with a pair of tickets to The Pink Panther.
The tiny two-seater appears in the film, in which Steve Martin recreates the classic Peter Sellers character, the calamity-prone Inspector Clouseau.
Martin also co-wrote the production, which opened Feb. 10.
Ten Smarts were set aside for filming, which took three months to complete in several countries. The car becomes a star in some scenes.
In one, the bumbling Clouseau attempts to manoeuvre the diminutive auto into an enormous parking space.
In the process, he succeeds in wrecking two other vehicles.

Palm pilot

Dinky and perky, the Smart proves a small car can still make a big impression, says Martin Love

Sunday February 12, 2006The Observer
Smart £6,810 to £14,620
Top speed: 94Mph
Cost per mile: £0.34
Good for: Scrum halves
Bad for: Prop forwards

The Smart car, the ground-breakingly novel city runaround which shows you don't have to be 'square to work in the Square Mile', is a class-leading vehicle. Having said that, it's pretty much the only car in its class. How many other tiny two-seaters with boot space [trunk space] and an eerie resemblance to a Dyson [vacuum cleaner] are there? It's a great strategy. Want to be a winner, invent your own class. Want to take gold at the Winter Olympics, enter an event no one else does. How many 'Nordic Combined' athletes have you heard of? Not many, I expect. The sport combines the seemingly unrelated disciplines of cross-country skiing and ski jumping. If they'd thrown in ski-boot throwing you could have the field to yourself.
With its Smart, Daimler-Chrysler has done what few other manufacturers have done in recent years, and dared to think outside the box. The box in this case being the homogenous, play it safe, multi-pack approach to car design. As all other cars get bigger - middle-age spread affects the long-running models as much as their drivers - the compact, Mercedes-made Smart stands out from the crowd. The Golf, Polo, Focus and Clio are all now up to 20 per cent larger
than their debut models. In an overcrowded island, surely a palm-sized car that takes up half the space of a family saloon is to be applauded. You can fit two in a normal space, as well as parking it at right angles to the kerb. If we motorists are to find ways to reduce our environmental footprint, a Smart will shrink you from a size-12 wellie [wellingon boot] to a size-4 stiletto.

Read full article here.

Driver fled to lap dance club

The Comet
09 February 2006

A COMPANY director who caused a motorway pile-up fled the scene and drove to a lap dancing club. There, Peter Aldred, 41, boasted to two pretty dancers how he had made off from the crash site leaving a dazed driver in the middle of the carriageway. The dancers, Nikki Wright, 23, and her friend Zoe Young, 27, were so appalled by Aldred's drunken boasts that they decided to shop him. As Zoe performed a £60 "VIP dance" for Aldred "to keep him occupied", Nikki alerted the management at the Spearmint Rhino Club in Slough who contacted the police.Aldred was still standing at the bar a short while later when police burst in and arrested him.
The story was revealed when Aldred appeared at St Albans Crown Court on Tuesday to admit a charge of dangerous driving. The company executive, of Oakfield Avenue, Hitchin, had been behind the wheel of his Subaru Impreza as he drove in the outside lane of the M25 in the early hours of March 22 last year. Just before the junction with the M1, he was travelling at around 75mph when he lost control and hit a Smart Car in the middle lane that was being driven by bus driver Doug Saker. The impact sent Mr Saker's vehicle veering sideways into a lorry [truck] in the inside lane. The collision left Mr Saker's vehicle a mangled write-off and he ended up dazed and confused on the hard shoulder. The lorry also came to a halt, but Aldred, after stopping briefly in the central lane, drove off suddenly as Mr Saker walked up to the car. Barrister Charles Judge, defending, said his client had been driving when he dropped a sandwich he had been eating and, in trying to pick it up, had collided with Mr Saker's vehicle. Judge Marie Catterson decided to adjourn the case for three weeks so that a pre-sentence report on Aldred can be prepared. She told Aldred: "All options are open to this case."She said the fact that she was granting him bail to the next appearance "doesn't mean anything as far as sentence is concerned". Outside the court, Mr Saker said: "I couldn't believe my eyes when it (the Subaru) drove off. It was such a despicable thing to do."I could have been badly injured, but he didn't know that. I remember thinking, 'You b.....d'."
See source.

smart delivers 8,200 vehicles worldwide in January 2006

The smart brand delivered 8,200 units in January 2006. A direct comparison to the previous year’s figure is not possible because a major contract was concluded with a business customer in January 2005. The smart fortwo continued to display stable sales development. The response to the smart fortwo special edition “grandstyle” was especially positive; more than 4,000 orders had been placed for the model just a few weeks after the announcement of its launch.

Source: www.daimlerchrysler.com

Smarter than a Smart

Filed: 14/01/2006)

A British vehicle producer is poised to introduce a cheap, flexible and environmentally friendly vcar with global appeal, as Mike Rutherford reports

The Americans would have you believe otherwise, but the big motor shows in Detroit and Los Angeles aren't the only places awash with intriguing, highly significant vehicles of the future - the Garden of England is getting in on the act.

A new five-door, six-seater car is being born in Kent this week. It's called the Stevens GVT, and there will also be a van version, plus a pick-up truck, a rag-top and a skeletal beach-buggy-style derivative. Apart from a stretched taxi version and, possibly, some six-wheelers, that's about it. For now, at least.

Read the full article here.

Zest microcar to debut in Geneva

Feb 6th 2006 8:15PM - by Stuart Waterman

Looking for all the world like an animated refugee from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, the Zest (above) is actually destined for production. Developed by a French consortium led by ACREA (L'Atelier de Creation Automobile), the little roadster will debut in preproduction form at the Geneva Motor Show.
The car will actually be licensed as a quadricycle, and features a completely symmetrical, molded thermoplastic bodyshell. A hardtop with full windshield is optional.
Motivation comes in the form of a 505 cc, two-cylinder engine, mounted behind the passenger compartment and putting out all of 21 hp. The suspension is MacPherson struts on all four corners, and four-wheel disk brakes handle the stopping duties.
The manufacturer plans a run of 600 units for 2006, and 2,000 in 2007, distributed through a European retail network.

Source: www.autoblog.com

Car makers branch into trees to combat emissions

By Melissa Fyfe - February 6, 2006

Car makers are racing to impress customers with their green credentials — and the result could see thousands of trees planted.
As the Melbourne International Motor Show hits town this week, promoters of the Mercedes-Benz Smart car will today announce a scheme to combat the car's emissions by planting trees on behalf of buyers.
The Smart car's Carbon Zero Program will mean enough trees are planted or there is enough investment in renewable energy to offset the carbon dioxide emitted from its exhaust in an average driving year (16,000 kilometres).

Read full article here.

Diesel interest powers up

By Tony Whitney - The Hamilton Spectator Feb 2, 2006

Few topics seem to attract more reader input than diesel power. Comments come from three distinctive types of driver -- those who already drive a diesel-powered vehicle, those who plan to buy one and those who'd consider buying one.
Interest in diesel power seems to be quite high in Canada but, as far as passenger cars, SUVs and minivans go, almost non-existent in the U.S. This is probably why we have a limited number of choices in the market here, although products have been becoming more available of late.
At least the choice of diesel-powered vehicles is surprisingly wide -- everything from a tiny SmartCar to a handsome Mercedes-Benz luxury sedan.
Volkswagen has always been faithful to diesel and offers several models. You can even buy a Jeep Liberty SUV with a diesel engine now.
People who rent a diesel-powered vehicle for a European holiday or business trip always come back amazed at the diesel's economy, smoothness, power and lack of visible emissions.
Diesels are so popular in Europe that technology has improved to the point where a driver would think there was a well-engineered gasoline engine under the hood. Their performance usually surprises people who aren't accustomed to the current crop of diesels.

Read full article here.

Widthways parkers no dummies

By Don Descoteau - Saanich News Feb 03 2006

When it came to creating pint-sized parking spots downtown, city councillors thought it was a smart idea. Drivers of vehicles less than three metres long, as well as motorcycle and scooter riders, will find more parking options on downtown streets starting in March or April, as city staff begin installing meters in areas previously marked with yellow lines or shortened by protruding landscape and sidewalk bulbs. "We're not converting existing parking spaces, we're adding to the inventory of parking downtown," said city transportation planner Brad Dellebuur. "We're making more efficient use of the space downtown. "The spaces are three metres long, about half the size of a regular space, and vehicles such as the Smart Car can legally be parked sideways in them. They will be metered separately but drivers will be charged half the normal rate as an incentive to use the tiny spots. "We started with 25 because we're not really sure how popular they're going to be," Dellebuur said. "We'll monitor them to see how successful they are. "While much of the publicity has been on the Smart Car, currently the shortest four-wheeled motorized vehicle marketed in the region, the use of metered parking spaces by motorcycle, moped and scooter riders is already "huge," he said.

Photo by: Quentin Jones

Professional Driver: Please Do Not Attempt