From Green Right Now Reports

A year after its US arrival, smart USA Distributor LLC said today that it will plant a tree in recognition of each of the 24,622 smart fortwos sold in 2008 and for those sold through the remainder of 2009. The company said it will partner with American Forests and Daimler Financial Services to plant the trees in the Cache River State Natural Area of southern Illinois, about 150 miles southeast of St. Louis.

“smart USA, Daimler Financial Services and American Forests are committed to creating a healthier, greener environment,” Dave Schembri, President of smart USA, said in a statement. “We wanted to select a project that not only reflected one of our brand’s core attributes, but will also create a better place to live for all Americans.”

The Cache River State Natural Area project will create large blocks of historic hardwood bottomlands that support neotropical migratory birds and will provide high-quality swamp and wetland habitats for more than 100 species listed as threatened or endangered. smart USA said owners who took delivery of their vehicle in 2008 will be notified of the program on their anniversary date and will be able to download a certificate recognizing the tree planting from the company’s web site.

The diminutive smart USA has become a symbol of environmental awareness. In addition to high fuel economy, the smart fortwo is up to 95% recyclable, and is certified as a SmartWay vehicle for its low air pollutant and greenhouse gas scores by the Environmental Protection Agency.

From Green Right Now Reports

Daimler has announced it will bring its car2go mobility concept to the U.S. by fall of this year. The first international pilot will start in Austin with an initial fleet of about 200 fuel-efficient smart fortwo cars.

The car2go concept is based on a fleet of smart fortwo vehicles that are available for rent to registered members, making city driving as easy as using a mobile phone. Unlike other car-sharing programs, Daimler says its car2go program offers the freedom to get in a car and drive at any time of day without reserving a car in advance. The vehicle can then be used for as long as required and returned to any available parking location within the defined area of operation – a mobility solution offering maximum flexibility.

The U.S. introduction coincides with the expansion of the pilot in Ulm, Germany, where the company opens the service to the public on March 26 after the internal test which started last October.

> Read more at KVUE-Austin

> Watch KVUE video

Related video:

Daimler press announcement

Here’s another good reason to think small in these challenging times.

Owners of the diminutive smart fortwo in New York City can now park for half the price in hundreds of lots around the city. smart USA Distributor LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Automotive Group, Inc., announced the agreements with three New York City area parking companies: Meyers Parking, Icon Parking Systems and AviStar Airport Parking.

In a city where annual parking costs are in the hundreds of dollars, the smart fortwo owners can receive 50 percent discounts off daily and monthly posted parking rates.

“Our arrangement with the parking companies gives smart owners the best of both worlds: the ability to park at a discounted price, along with the ease to park almost anywhere,” Dave Schembri, President of smart USA, said in a statement. “The smart fortwo is helping New Yorkers change the way they park and navigate congested city streets, while offering great fuel economy, safety and functionality.”

At 61 inches wide and 106 inches long, the smart fortwo already offered parking advantages for New Yorkers. It can be parked sideways, increasing the options of space-challenged city dwellers.

Meyers Parking first offered half price parking to smart fortwo owners beginning last September, and the program was renewed for 2009. Meyers Parking is the official parking garage of Madison Square Garden, the New York Rangers, New York Knicks and New York Liberty. Meyers also has the largest public garages in Times Square, on the Upper East Side and the Empire State Building area.

Icon Parking Systems has more than 200 parking facilities in Manhattan. Company officials said smart fortwo owners will automatically qualify for a $99 monthly rate.

For smart fortwo owners traveling by plane out of the New York City area, AviStar Airport Parking, a wholly owned subsidy of Parking Company America Airports, LLC (PCAA) is offering half price parking on the daily rate at both JFK and LaGuardia Airports. Customers wishing to take advantage of this special promotion are required to print a special coupon from the company’s web site and present it to the cashier at the time of payment. The AviStar Airport Parking promotion will expire on April 30, 2009.

More than 26,000 smart fortwos have been sold since January 16, 2008. The company says there are approximately 4,000 smart owners in the metropolitan New York market.

It’s been a little over a year since I went to see the smart fortwo at a Dallas stop on the traveling road show that preceded its sales in the U.S.  I was wowed by the brightly painted, road-hugging micro cars with their cozy seats, wide-view windshields and buggy like demeanor.

More significantly, I remember the wide range of people in line for the test drive: a neurosurgeon who wanted a commuting car; an avid golfer who wanted to make sure his irons fit in the trunk; a mother shopping for her teenager and a mechanic from the Mercedes service department across the parking lot who was looking on behalf of the entire crew with whom he worked.

The Mercedes mechanic thought the smart fortwo, manufactured by Daimler AG, would be affordable (it is) and reliable (it’s got a track record in 37 countries).

Apparently, Americans agree. A new report on the Smart shows that it sold 20,000 units in its first 10 months on the ground in the United States. Those sales were helped, no doubt, by those who signed up on waiting lists in 2007. And the economic derailment this fall probably didn’t hurt the smart fortwo, which retails for $12.000 to $17,000, the way it kick-boxed expensive SUVs and other gas guzzlers.

The strong sales mean that the U.S. is now the third biggest market for the European-style car, behind Germany and Italy.

The smart fortwo gets terrific gas mileage at 41 mpg, of course it is just a two-seater, and it has won EPA designation as the most energy-efficient non-hybrid car. But its reliance solely on gasoline means it carbon emissions can only go so low. Will there be a hybrid version for the U.S. (a micro hybrid drive is available in Europe)? When we asked Smart USA president Dave Schembri last fall, he didn’t rule it out.

The “Smart” folks, fortunately, are aware of their potential for even greater greeness. The news release today announced that a fleet of 100 electric smart fortwos are being tested in London.

Copyright © 2008 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Don’t be fooled. Gasoline prices won’t be bumping around $2 a gallon for long. Driving a car with good fuel economy still makes sense. Higher mpg means lower operating costs for the household budget and fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Happily, car shoppers today have a myriad of options among fuel frugal 2009 cars. You can find something getting 30 mpg or better on the highway at nearly every dealer lot. In some cases, you’ll have to settle for a trim line with a smaller engine and manual transmission to hit the 30 mpg mark.

Here are 30 with 30 mpg:

Audi TT

Gorgeous lines, 200-horsepower and a crisp six-speed manual transmission make the Audi TT a swell sports car. The fuel economy of the base 2-liter model makes it an earth-friendly sports car.
EPA estimated mpg: 22 city/30 highway

Green Car Journal editors have chosen the five finalists for the 2009 Green Car of the Year award. They include two “clean” diesels — the BMW 335d and Volkswagen Jetta TDI — the Ford Fusion Hybrid, the Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid, and the Euro-bred smart fortwo. The winner will be announced Nov. 20 at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

According to the Journal’s experts, the five models are important milestones for their manufacturers. The VW and BMW clean diesels signal the advent of highly efficient, advanced diesel sedans that meet emissions requirements in all 50 states. Ford’s Fusion Hybrid is the American automaker’s first hybrid sedan. Saturn’s Vue 2-Mode represents the first time GM has used its two-mode hybrid system in a V-6 front-drive platform. The smart fortwo is fuel efficient micro car from Europe that just made it to the U.S. in recent months.

Video: See the five finalists

“This is an exciting year for ‘green’ cars because of the many innovative and advanced models now emerging,” Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal, said in a statement. “In fact, this year’s selection of nominees was more challenging than in years past because of the auto industry’s greater emphasis on greener vehicles and the number of potential vehicles to consider. For the first time, we’ve also seen a pair of clean diesels and a small gasoline model giving hybrids serious competition.”

Fuel efficient diesels have long been popular in Europe, but the engines have only recently been re-engineered to meet tough U.S. standards. The BMW 335d gets 33 miles per gallon and features a complex three-piece emissions system. VW uses a system developed in cooperation with Audi and Mercedes-Benz that temporarily captures particulate emissions before burning them off in a later part of the engine cycle.

The 2009 Green Car of the Year will be selected by a jury that includes Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club; Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council; Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of Ocean Futures Society; automotive expert and Tonight Show host Jay Leno; and automotive icon Carroll Shelby.