スマート最後のモデル「フォーツー・ファイナルコレクターズエディション」がアメリカ市場限定21台のみ販売へ。ちなみにアメリカ市場での2018年の販売台数は僅か1,246台のみ

2020-05-27

~実は全く売れていなかったスマート~

ダイムラー傘下にあるスマート(Smart)は、2019年モデルを最後にアメリカ・カナダ市場から撤退することを明らかにしました。
スマートの2018年の販売台数は、僅か1,246台と非常に苦しい状況にあることと、今後EVコンパクトカーやシティカーが更に激化するであろう欧州市場へと力を入れていくとのことで、今回はアメリカ市場限定ではありますが、最後の特別限定モデルを発売することがわかりました。

今回スマートから発売されるアメリカ市場限定モデルは、僅か21台しか製造されないスマート最後の内燃機関モデル(スマートブランドが導入されて21年経過するため)で、同社が常に掲げてきた「常に一歩先を行くデザインとスタイリング」はそのままに、有名な工業デザイナであるKonstantin Grcic氏とブラバスの共同開発によって今年8月より生産スタートとなります。


~イエローとブラックのグラデーションが掛かった美しい色合い~

今回の特別モデルは、「フォーツー・コンバーチブル」をベースにした一台で、スマートの原点に大きく関連付けるハロー・イエロー(Hello Yellow)と呼ばれるカラーとブラックのグラデーションチックなツートン仕上げとなっています。

足元には、ボディカラーに併せてホイールもイエローとブラックの大口径アルミホイールを装着。おそらく17インチ~18インチサイズではないかと推測しますが、このサイズ感で4穴ってかなり違和感がありますね…

インテリアもボディカラーに併せてブラックを基調としながらもイエローのアクセントが加味されたオシャレな室内。

シートも、運転席と助手席でカラーリングが異なるんですね。
ヘッドレストには限定21台のみを示す”#21”のエンボス加工が施されています。

センターシフトノブも中々にオシャレで”#21”のデザインが入っています。

なお、このモデルに関する詳細な仕様や価格帯については明らかにされていませんが、21台全て完売しているかといわれるとそうではなく、ほとんど売れ残っているようです。

~プレスリリース~

このプレスリリース内容は以下の通り。

Stuttgart. In 2020 smart will become the first automotive manufacturer in the world to have uncompromisingly switched its entire portfolio over from combustion engines to electric drives. Before smart goes all-electric next year, the brand is presenting an exclusive and strictly limited special edition of the final #21 combustion-engine vehicles – designed by Konstantin Grcic and for the most ardent collectors only. smart has stood for innovative mobility for more than two decades now. With the Final Collector’s Edition it is marking the beginning of a new era and 21 years of hands-on pioneering spirit.

For the final #21 of their kind, smart is collaborating with internationally renowned industrial designer Konstantin Grcic to create a contemporary work of art for the road while at the same time marking the beginning of a new era in the history of the automobile. The edition centres on the idea of 21 years of smart, 21 vehicles, 21 years always a step ahead. The vehicles of the limited collection, which have been designed by Konstantin Grcic and realised in cooperation with Brabus, will leave the factory in August 2019, offering collectors and true smart fans a unique opportunity to take 21 years of pioneering spirit home with them.

The Final Collector’s Edition – the beginning of a new era

Before smart opens up the electric mobility chapter in earnest, the brand is taking a look in the rear-view mirror with an edition that pays tribute to what made the first smart vehicles with combustion engines so special, as captured in Grcic’s design for the final #21. “#21 commemorates something special, celebrating 21 years of smart. For me, it also symbolises much of what being 21 is about: being free, breaking boundaries, breaking out, showing your rebellious side. The Final Collector’s Edition brings this essential idea to life as we take our leave of a piece of automotive history,” says Konstantin Grcic.

The declared watershed marking the beginning of a new era is embodied in the chosen colour concept and the design as a whole. The colour scheme is also a homage to the first-generation smart: From the brilliant yellow front end through the tag-style #21 marking to the matt black rear. The employed yellow is based on the original colour “hello yellow”, establishing the association with smart’s origins that is so important to the edition. ‘Reduce to the max’ was the mission statement for the very first vehicles. The idea back then was to cooperate with various artists. Swiss artist Roman Signer, for example, had the car drive through a form of tunnel, at the end of which a bucket of paint was poured over the smart. Grcic’s design for the Final Collector’s Edition, featuring a frazzled transition from yellow to black, also cites part of this history.

A long-standing commitment to electric mobility

In launching the Final Collector’s Edition, smart is staying true to its pioneering role. The smart brand is without parallel in the way it provides automotive answers to the ever-growing urbanisation of our world and offers innovative solutions to make life in the city easier and more attractive. Right at the very outset, visionary Nicolas Hayek considered the possibility of an environment-friendly electric drive for the smart. 100 all-electric smarts were finally delivered in London in 2007. The “electric drive”, Europe’s first series-production electric car, highlighted the company’s innovative prowess and its courage to explore new avenues.

“smart remains much more than a car – it represents the grand vision of a new form of urban mobility. As such, the ground-breaking decision to switch the entire range to electric drives only as of 2020 is a perfectly logical step. For us, the Final Collector’s Edition marks both the end of an era and a new beginning as a significant milestone in the history of smart and towards a future horizon,” notes Daniel Lescow, head of brand and product management at smart, in explanation of the idea behind the final #21.

About Konstantin Grcic

Konstantin Grcic (*1965) learned cabinet making at the John Makepeace School in Dorset, England, before going on to study design at the Royal College of Art in London. In 1991 he established his own design studio in Munich, from where he has since relocated to Berlin. He works in various areas at his studio, from projects in the area of industrial and furniture design through exhibition design to collaborations in the fields of architecture and fashion. Works by Konstantin Grcic are included in the permanent collections of the world’s leading design museums (including MoMA/New York, Centre Georges Pompidou/Paris). Grcic defines function in a human context and combines an austere approach to design with considerable mental acuity and humour. A profound understanding of design and architecture and a passion for technology and materials inform each one of his works. Well known for items stripped down to their essentials, Grcic is often described as ‘minimalist’, though he himself prefers the term ‘simplicity’.

☆★☆スマート関連記事4選はコチラ!☆★☆

Reference:motor1.com