AIMS: New ForTwo for Oz and S goes diesel

AIMS saw Mercedes-Benz confirm its commitment to continue selling the diminutive Smart in Australia. Indeed, the German marque unveiled the all-new model at Darling Harbour.

Due to go on sale around February next year, the new Smart ForTwo will reprise the current model's lineup with both coupe and soft-top cabriolet models.

In the rear driving the rear axle is a new enlarged 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine that lifts power considerably over the current model's 45kW from its 0.7-litre three-cylinder engine to 62kW and 120Nm.

Despite the similar visage, the new model is 195mm longer and 43mm wider and is expected to be priced in the same region as the present model that starts at $19,900.

While the car is renown for its frugal fuel consumption, its two-seater configuration and distinctive style mean that it remains a lifestyle choice. With that in mind Smart will not be aggressively marketing the car and expects sales level to remain around 400-500 a year.

Fuel consumption was also high on the agenda for the launch of parent company Mercedes' Sydney stars with the launch of the C320 CDI and S320 CDI turbo diesel models.

The C320 CDI rounds out the recently launched new C-Class range and is priced from $92,800 while the big S320 CDI is the first ever diesel S-Class sold in Australia and will be priced from $189,874 when it goes on sale early next year.

Both cars use the same 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel engine -- generating 165kW/510Nm in the C-Class and 173kW/540Nm in the S320 CDI -- that drives the rear wheels through a seven-speed tiptronic automatic transmission.

The S320 shares its spec level with the S350 V6 petrol model and despite its size and performance is still able to achieve a listed fuel economy of just 8.3lt/100km.

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