Wednesday 1st July 1998

Production of the rear-engined two-door, two-seat mono-box city car, the 2.5 metre long Smart city-coupé, began. It was renamed Smart Fortwo the following year. In contrast to other mini cars, the Smart had rear wheel drive which provided improved control and enhanced stability. Moreover, the Smart City Coupe came with an impressive line-up of safety features, starting with ESP, ABS, front and side airbags and ending with the ASR technology developed by Mercedes.