Yes, it’s possible: smart fortwo electric drive beats high-performance vehicles

Just when you thought you knew everything about the smart fortwo, it sprints again ahead of the status quo. With its fuel sipping efficiency, agile handling, compact profile and unparalleled parking abilities, the smart fortwo offers numerous advantages for city driving. Getting around town is even easier (and quicker) with its electric drive variant which is equipped with a 55kW permanent-magnet motor that eliminates shift delays and provides immediate maximum torque for pure city driving pleasure.

In typical urban driving situations that include congestion, unsynchronized stop lights and blocked traffic lanes, a vehicle’s standing start performance is highly desirable. It was based on that premise that smart Canada, with the help of BBDO Toronto, came up with the idea of having the smart fortwo electric drive compete against three different high-performance vehicles. While the smart fortwo electric drive might be the underdog in a long distance run, it steals however the spotlight in the first five meters of acceleration, rivaling, if not beating the trio when “zippiness" matters most.

This video is at the heart of a national integrated marketing campaign which is comprised of online, social media and print variants. The campaign also includes an out-of-home component, with the highlight being a large vertical smart branded electric drive charging station sign that resembles a gas station price sign. This sign will be placed at three different locations in the Toronto area in July and August.

"The smart electric drive is the champion of urban mobility, and this campaign was developed to demonstrate one more of its strengths in an unexpected way," said Jay Owen, Director of sales and marketing for smart Canada.

Peter Ignazi, Senior Vice President and Executive Creative Director for BBDO Toronto, also added, “While the campaign is light-hearted, it nevertheless conveys important messages about the smart’s multi-talented abilities to conquer all facets of urban driving."

In addition to this campaign, smart is running a contest to support its mission of increasing the number of charging stations in Canada. The contest’s grand prize winner will be awarded a trip to Rome – the ultimate smart city. Individuals can enter by nominating a location for a future charging station. Further contest details can be found at www.thesmartcityproject.ca

About smart Canada
smart Canada is responsible for the sales, marketing and service for the smart brand in Canada. Produced in one of the most modern and environmentally friendly plants in the world in Hambach, France, the smart fortwo is a safe, comfortable and extremely versatile vehicle. Since the launch of the smart fortwo in Canada in the fall of 2004, smart Canada's nationwide network of 57 dealers across the country have sold more than 27,000 smart fortwo vehicles.
Further information about the smart fortwo can be found online at www.media.mercedes-benz.ca, www.smart.com, facebook.com/smartCanada and twitter.com/smartCanada.

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