Smart Teases New Four-Door Model for USA, and yes, it's a Nissan Micra in Disguise...

In what could be seen as a rather desperate move to keep the troubled Smart brand alive and kicking in the United States, parent company Mercedes-Benz has announced that it has teamed up with Nissan to launch a Toyota Yaris-sized five-door hatchback on the market in the fourth quarter of 2011.

"The new vehicle will expand smart USA's product lineup, offering five-seat capacity while maintaining the core principles of efficiency and conservation," said Smart USA President Jill Lajdziak.

The company said the B-segment car is to be sold solely in the United States and will be based on vehicle architecture from Nissan, without getting into any more details. However, the maker of the tiny Fortwo released two teaser sketches of the car, clearly depicting Nissan's latest Micra supermini with a Smart-like fascia, headlights, tail lamps and detailing.

The sketches are rather crudely done (for official material), and not to mention a tad deceiving as the Micra has been squashed down to create the illusion of a sportier shaped model. You can see what the Micra looks like in our gallery below.

Roger Penske, Chairman of the Penske Automotive Group, which is the brand's exclusive distributor in the States said: "We are faced with continuing customer demand for a smart car with more seating capacity. Sales and service of the five seater will be carried out exclusively by our approximately 75 smart dealerships in the United States. Together with Nissan, we will bring to market a fully equipped small car for our customers and dealers in the USA. It will fit in well with the smart brand."

The new Nissan-based Smart model is part of a broader strategic cooperation between Daimler AG and the Renault-Nissan Group that was revealed in April. Under the agreement, the two groups also plan to co-develop a new platform that will be used on the successors to the Smart Fortwo and the Renault Twingo. You can read more about the deal in our previous post here.

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The Smallest Smart Ever: Electric 'escooter' Uncovered before Paris Show

Previewing a possible expansion to the world of two wheels in the very near future, Daimler's Smart division will showcase a scooter concept at next week's Paris motor show. Seen here for the first time in the flesh, the purely electrically driven 'escooter' uses a 48-volt lithium-ion battery pack placed behind the paneling in the foot area and is capable of traveling up to 100 kilometers (over 60 miles) on a single charge.

The company says the batteries can be fully recharged through any standard household power socket, within three to five hours. The charging socket is located at the front of the scooter underneath a hinged smart emblem.

Smart's two-wheel study is driven by a disc-shaped wheel hub motor in the rear wheel, which offers an output of 4 kW (equal to 5.3-horsepower) allowing the scooter to reach a top speed of 45 km/h or 28mph.

The connection to Smart's four-wheel products is made through the electric scooter's supporting chassis structure which the company says is "consciously modelled on the tridion safety cell of the Fortwo" and the fully interchangeable plastic bodypanels.

Technical highlights include the use of an anti-lock braking system (ABS) specially adapted for a two-wheeler, an airbag integrated in the paneling under the handlebars, and Blind Spot Assist, which like the system found on Mercedes cars, draws the rider's attention to vehicles following close behind that are not visible in the "blind spot" of the rear-view mirrors.

Another cool feature is the Smartphone that is placed in the centre of the handlebars and is fully linked with the escooter. It replaces the traditional instrument panel providing info on speed, range and battery charge level and even acts as a navigation system.