smart car (redirected from Smart automobiles)

(1) An automobile with advanced electronics. Microprocessors have been used in car engines since the late 1960s and have steadily increased in usage throughout the engine and drivetrain to improve stability, braking and general comfort. The 1990s added information-oriented enhancements such as GPS navigation, reverse sensing systems and night vision (able to visualize animals and people beyond normal human range). The 2000s are adding Web and e-mail access, voice control, smart card activation instead of keys and systems that keep the vehicle a safe distance from cars and objects in its path. See embedded system.

(2) (Smart Car) A mini-compact, two-seater automobile popular on crowded city streets of Europe since the late 1990s and debuting in the United States in January of 2008. Released by carmaker Smart USA and designed to get 40 miles per gallon, the Smart Car is marketed as a wise choice for city driving.

Very Petite
Three feet shorter than a Mini Cooper and weighing 1,800 pounds, some call it a toy. However, its steel cage technology is similar in concept to a race car, and the vehicle comes with anti-lock brakes and front and side air bags.

Joint Venture Origins
With Smart standing for "Swatch Mercedes Art," the car began as a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and watchmaker Swatch in the early 1990s. Designed as an urban car for the masses, the prototype was exhibited at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany in 1997. Production began in 1998 in France. Swatch turned its share of the project over to Mercedes shortly after.