Brabus Tunes Smart Electric Drive and Smart Ebike [Geneva Auto Show]

Brabus, notorious Mercedes tuner, has attempted to create a sports car out of a Smart car. This is probably the only time you'll ever see the words "sports car" and "Smart car" in the same sentence, the exception being when saying that the Smart Fortwo is in no way a sports car. Unlike past Brabus Smarts, this Smart Brabus ED will be based on the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive; an updated version of the electric Smart also debuted in Geneva. Power comes from an electric motor that makes 81 hp and 100 lb-ft of torque. (Standard Smart EDs make just 74 hp and 96 lb-ft of torque, if you can believe it.) It should be a lot faster—or maybe not so devastatingly slow. Brabus's electric car is equipped with a sports suspension that lowers it by 0.4 inch. The standard wheels have been replaced with 16-inchers in the front and 17s at the rear. Other changes include a sport steering wheel with paddles that let the driver select a more aggressive battery-recuperation setting. Plus, the requisite aero kit. Also revealed at the Geneva show was the Smart Brabus ebike. In the same powerful, eco-friendly mindset as the Brabus ED, this matte-black and green bike is powered by a 500-watt electric motor. That's twice as powerful as the motor on the standard Smart ebike (available throughout Europe and North America), but despite this the Brabus model weighs 10 percent less (somehow) than the Smart version. The ebike can reach speeds of 28 mph. Both the Brabus Smart and the ebike will be available in 12 countries by the end of this year, although the U.S. will not be included. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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