You may or may not like Vilner's aesthetic proposals, but you’ll have to agree that Bulgarian studio is a very good example of what a company from a relatively small country with no background in its niche can achieve with some hard work and smart yet efficient marketing tactics. You see, instead of focusing on the local market and waiting for someone to discover the firm’s products, over the past year or so Vilner has been aggressively promoting every tune it has worked on. We don’t know if this strategy has translated into an overseas income, but it has put the company on the map, and that’s something worth noting.

In this latest tune, Vilner crafted a bespoke Smart ForTwo for one of its local customers. The Lilliputian two-door model received extensive styling modifications built around a square motive that is visible inside and out. On the outside, the ForTwo gains a colorful wrap that includes a chrome finish at the back and orange wheels, while the interior has been completely reworked featuring new and more luxurious materials throughout. Follow the jump for more pictures as well as a video from the build.

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When I say, “Apparatjik,” you say, “Gesundheit”. Why? Because no doubt you, like me, had not even heard of these guys until today. Apparatjik are an electro band from Europe that describes their music as, no joke, “combat-disco”. Oh how I wish I was making this up. Anyways, for the band’s latest art-exhibition-cum-live-show Smart – yes, the same one that makes those piddling little city cars – took one of their ForTwo EV’s and covered it with a mosaic of mirrors.

I guess it must be artsy or something. As Michael Fischer, a spokesperson for Smart and someone who probably understands Appartjik about as well as you or I, explains:

“It’s not their approach to deliver a perfect piece of art or a perfect piece of music. It’s a very conceptual project. It’s not like a regular band. They play in a cube.”

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Remember the patent designs of a topless, two-seat Smart model that we first showed you back in December, 2010? Well, according to Carscoop sources, the drawings are of a concept speedster model that will make its world premiere at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show on March 1.

We also learned the concept is powered by a rear-mounted electric motor driving the rear wheels, and that while Smart's parent company Mercedes-Benz has no plans to create a production version of the speedster-like model, key styling cues such as the headlamp and grille designs will pass on to the next generation Smart cars like the new Fortwo and the upcoming 5-door variant.

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Daimler is planning to end an agreement with Penske Automotive Group regarding the distribution rights of Smart cars in the United States and transfer all activities to Mercedes-Benz USA, starting from the end of the second quarter of 2011. Read more »

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It's no secret that Mercedes-Benz plans to give its Smart brand one more chance to extend its vehicle range after the not so-successful Mitsubishi Colt-based Forfour and the Roadster series. Last April, the German automaker signed a deal with the Renault-Nissan Group, with the two parties announcing the development of a new rear-wheel drive platform to be used on the successor of the current Smart Fortwo, a new four-seater Smart and the next-generation Renault Twingo.

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Over the years, Daimler's Smart unit has introduced many limited edition models of its Fortwo micro car such as the 'Three', 'Hello Kitty' and 'GB-10'. This time around, Smart has presented a more sporty looking special edition of the Fortwo called the Nightorange.

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Back in 2001 at the Geneva Motor Show, Smart introduced a quirky roadster concept with no doors, no roof and no windscreen called the Crossblade. The Fortwo Cabrio-based concept eventually went into a limited series production the following year with Smart offering a total of 2,000 cars.

Fast-forward to today, and Smart appears to be readying a spiritual successor to the Crossblade as the firm's parent company Mercedes-Benz has trademarked these designs drawings of a two-seater roadster model.

Unlike the original Crossblade, which came without doors featuring instead steel safety bars at passenger shoulder height that swing upwards with the help of a gas-operated struts, the roadster model seen in these pictures gets a conventional set of doors. It also features a larger wind deflector surrounding the driver and passenger as well as Smart's trademark Tridion Safety Cell - albeit redesigned to look like separate safety bars.

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Mainstream American consumers may not be willing to cough up tens of thousands of dollars to buy new electric vehicles just yet, but they may be tempted to rent one. The Hertz Corp. and Smart USA today announced a joint partnership to bring the all-electric version of the Fortwo mini to Connect by Hertz car sharing and Hertz Rent A Car locations in New York, Washington, DC, and San Francisco.

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If anything else, you can't blame Smart Fortwo owners for not having a sense of humor. Snagged on the streets of London by Carscoop reader Rob J., the Smart-tuned-into-Ferrari Fortwo comes with all the latest advancements in aerodynamic technology such as the individual, F1 style front and rear spoilers that keep the car firmly on the ground, even when people pass by and sneeze. Intrigued? Run through the jump for more tantalizing pics.

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Hopefully, most of our readers will agree that a Smart Fortwo is a far more suitable candidate for a 'Hello Kitty' makeover than a Ferrari 360 Modena [weep here]. Furthermore, unlike the custom Modena, the Fortwo Hello Kitty is an officially licensed product as Smart's US distributor, Penske Automotive and Sanrio, the owner of the 'Hello Kitty' brand, signed an agreement to add a series of car wrap designs featuring the popular feline to the carmaker's vehicle customization program.

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Numbers for Smart's Lilliputian Fortwo are dismal here in the States: from 24,600 units in 2008, sales dipped to 14,600 cars in 2009 and are 60% down to date this year. Furthermore, only 8.1% of metro New York buyers would return to the brand, while San Francisco is marginally better at 19.8%. With virtually no marketing (that I can see), a transmission with quirks that have to be explained, and a $14,000 price tag, something clearly has to be done to rectify the misperceived city car brand.Read more »

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In celebration of 10 years of sales in the UK, Smart is launching a new exclusive model called the Fortwo "gb-10" edition, of which only 100 will be produced for the local market. The mix of models consists of 50 gasoline engine coupes, 10 gasoline cabrios, 30 diesel coupes and 10 diesel cabrios.

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For those that find the standard Smart ForTwo too cute and feminine for their tastes, there's this awesome creation; a tanked-out version of Mercedes-Benz's Lilliputian sub³compact. Add a rotating turret with a built in projectile launcher and are you all set for combat. Too bad we don't have the 'Full Monty' on the car and its creator.

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