The Smart Cabriolet ForTwo, originally called the City Cabriolet is now ForTwo Cabriolet, and was introduced in March of 2000 in nine European countries (Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland, Spain and the Netherlands) and restyled in 2002.

The idea of bringing Smart to the U.S. was met with smirks in 2000, but conditions have changed, making an urban car appealing, says DaimlerChrysler AG Chairman Dieter Zetsche.

The U.S. market gets the second generation Smart Fortwo. The U.S. will be its 37th market. In addition to high fuel economy, the tiny car has significantly lower emissions than most models on the market.

A money-loser since its debut in Europe in 1998 the Smart Fortwo will be profitable this year. This is due to many factors, one being the discontinuation of the Forfour and the Roadster, but more importantly because of the massive lay-offs, a new business model, cutting fixed cost by 26 per cent, increase in sales and the entry of the car for the United States market.

The Smart is a deceptively large car. The big doors open on to comfy, full-size seats and the convertible roof gives it an airy quality.

The interior design is futuristic; everything is well placed and instrumentation is clearly laid out. The top-of-the-line models have leather seats, trim, and steering wheel, all incredibly posh. The quality of the materials is excellent and all accessories are very strong.

The Smart ForTwo is manufactured at Smartville, a purpose-built factory complex in Hambach, France.

It takes about 4.5 hours to make a Smart, compared to around 20 hours for a small sedan.

The body structure of the Smart Fortwo convertible shares 70 percent of its panels with the coupé.

The passenger and luggage compartment is 20 percent larger. The 2008 ForTwo is still 3 feet shorter than the Mini cooper.

Over 45,000 orders have already been placed for the new Smart.