Smart is daft...and cool. Buyer's weren't quite ready for it when it stormed onto the scene in 1998: today, the factory can't build enough of them. And now that DaimlerChrysler has scored a big hit with the tiny two-seater it plans to drive the brand name into the heart of the car market with roadsters, hatchbacks and SUVs�wherever it can apply its inventive, exciting thinking. From Germany to Japan and Mexico to Australia, smart has fast become an international phenomenon and is set to hit the USA in 2006. What is not so fast is the production of profit; smart is investing too much in innovative new models to make money yet. For owners meanwhile, there is more fun in a smart than in anything since the Mini. This book is the first full-length investigation of the smart sensation. Table of Contents: PART ONE: SMART BEGINNINGS Bubble cars, Bonds and beginnings � Roots of the small car idea: a bit of background. Smart & Spark � The flash of genius: enter Swatch mogul Nicholas G Hayek. Swatch & Struggles � Volkswagen's idealistic engineers take up the micro compact challenge. PART TWO: AMBITIOUS but ACCIDENT-PRONE Swatch & Shocks � Shock number one: new-broom VW boss cancels "elephant's roller-skate." Star & Shocks � Shock number two: Mercedes takes on the challenge. Smart & Dreams � Building on ideals...and creating the ideal enterprise. Smart & Ceremony � Grand beginnings for tiny car as national leaders roll in. Smart & The Elk � Slalom spin-off prompts rethink of company as well as car. PART THREE: THE BRAND BUILDS UP Smart & Smiles � The project turns the corner in a blaze of glory, only for it all to go wrong again. Smart & Serious � Long-awaited sales breakthrough but smart's fate still hangs in the balance. Smart & Success! � Now fashionable and selling fast, smart plans to triple its model range. Smart & More & More � Crossblade, roadster, and BRABUS take smart band into exciting new territory. Smart Thinking � The model becomes a brand and the brand becomes a new way of thinking. Smart & Fans � Web fans, American art experts, racetrack aces, rock stars and marathon runners figure among smart's worldwide followers. PART FOUR: THE PHENOMENON SPREADS Smart Comes of Age � Single model grows into complete brand as forfour and formore join the family. Smart Today & Tomorrow � New designs, new sectors, new countries point to rosy future�but it won't all be plain sailing. Making Sense � Was it all worthwhile> What went wrong, and what went right? And what lessons does the smart experience teach us? From the back cover: Funky, stylish and fun, smart is the youngest and most exciting brand of cars on the market�and it has revolutionized the way we think about cars abd the way we use them. It has put fun back into driving, and given rise to the biggest enthusiast clubs since the Mini. It revolutionary concept was the inspiration of the genius who invented the Swatch watch and saved the neat-bankrupt Swiss watch industry. But these visionary ideas proved too radical for some and the tiny two-seater almost died at birth when a succession of backers lost their nerve. Smart Thinking traces the decade-long history of this ambitious project, talks to key figures from every stage of the program and builds a vivid picture of an idea ahead of its time. The book is an epic tale of genius, inspiration, hope, disappointment, disaster and ultimately triumph; it is about colorful personalities, brilliant ideas and visionary leaders. ISBN: 0-7603-1943-X / Publisher: Motorbooks / Binding: Hardcover / Pages: 256 / Copyright: 2004 / Dimensions: 6+ x 9+ / Category: Automotive: Company Histories / Subject: Smart Car Company (Smart GmbH) / Contents: Company history, beginnings, founder, partners, and more.

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