Daimler Plans Smart-Brand Scooters and Bikes

After four-seater and sporty roadster versions of its Smart car failed to capture the market, Daimler is taking a counterintuitive approach to extending the brand: smaller and slower. Next year, Smart will bolster its lineup with an electric scooter, a prototype of which clocked a top speed of 28 miles per hour. The scooter and a €2,849 ($3,716) electric bike introduced last year are intended to shore up Smart’s image as a city transport specialist rather than just another automaker. “Smart is Daimler’s answer to the challenges of today’s megacities,” says brand chief Annette Winkler. The goal is to make city life “a little more colorful, cheerful, and healthy.”

Smart could use some merriment. The brand has racked up more than €1.5 billion in losses since its introduction in 1998, including a €120 million deficit this year, estimates broker Bankhaus Metzler. Besides its upcoming move into two-wheeled vehicles, Daimler is expanding Smart’s car lineup beyond the diminutive Fortwo, known for its two-tone color schemes and replaceable plastic body panels. In 2012 the automaker introduced an electric version of the two-seater, and as early as 2014 it may roll out a revamp of the basic Fortwo. Daimler has also teamed up with Renault on a new Smart four-seater that’s likely to reach showrooms next year.