AbgTutor dot Com: smart fourjoy – previewing the new clever four-seater

Saturday 14 September 2013

smart fourjoy – previewing the new clever four-seater

Tiny tyke specialist smart showcased its fourjoy concept in Frankfurt, and the door-less, open-roofed study essentially previews a production four-seater the company is hoping to bring into the market at the end of 2014. That one will obviously have more panels, of course.

The 3.49 metre-long showcar features an electric drivetrain, with a 55 kW magneto-electric motor at the heart of things. Standard charge time for the 17.6 kWh capacity lithium-ion battery is seven hours from zero capacity via a household socket.

If the 22 kW on-board charger and a rapid charging cable is employed, charge time goes to under less than a hour when the car is juiced through a wall-box or public charging station.

Exterior design elements include an extremely pronounced tridion cell made of polished full-aluminium, with contrast provided by white pearlescent paintwork for the bumpers, front bonnet and tailgate. Not like the design needs it, but deep-set six-spoke alloys provide additional bling.

The turbine-shaped rear lamps – integrated into the tridion cell – are certainly striking viewed from dead-on centre, but there are more subtle bits as well, like transparent petroleum-coloured moulded parts, which can be found in the form of the front windscreen’s wind deflector, A-pillar side deflectors and the rear roof spoiler.

As for the open-aired interior, standout bits are the two futuristic-looking front seats and a similarly-shaped rear seat bench, which the company says is reminiscent of modern lounge furniture in terms of design. The rear of the seats is made of dark chrome, and petroleum-coloured piping frames the seats, much in the same vein as the plexiglass accents on the exterior.

Elsewhere, plenty of funk on show, led by a novel-looking dashboard featuring a solid instrument panel support that’s made of transparent, illuminated plexiglass. That’s dressed up in a multidimensional honeycomb pattern, created by moulding on white plastic with a pearlescent effect to get the desired results.

Interior kit also includes two smartphones, mounted on the dashboard and on the centre tunnel at the rear for cutting-edge connectivity, and the concept adds two electric skateboards, fastened on the roof edges of the car, so occupants can leave the car parked and do short inner city hops without breaking a sweat. Helmets are even provided, and they’re stored under the rear seats.