Mercedes-Benz Patents Designs of Smart Roadster Model

Back in 2001 at the Geneva Motor Show, Smart introduced a quirky roadster concept with no doors, no roof and no windscreen called the Crossblade. The Fortwo Cabrio-based concept eventually went into a limited series production the following year with Smart offering a total of 2,000 cars.

Fast-forward to today, and Smart appears to be readying a spiritual successor to the Crossblade as the firm's parent company Mercedes-Benz has trademarked these designs drawings of a two-seater roadster model.

Unlike the original Crossblade, which came without doors featuring instead steel safety bars at passenger shoulder height that swing upwards with the help of a gas-operated struts, the roadster model seen in these pictures gets a conventional set of doors. It also features a larger wind deflector surrounding the driver and passenger as well as Smart's trademark Tridion Safety Cell - albeit redesigned to look like separate safety bars.

Unfortunately, the patent filing does not provide any information on the vehicle other than that the designs were submitted on November 16, 2010. However, unless it's a previous study we're not aware of, we'd say the car seen here is a new concept model (maybe for Detroit in January or Geneva in March) that could preview a production vehicle as well as the styling of the next generation Smart Fortwo series.

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Poll: Should Fiat Cut Loose Alfa Romeo and/or Sell it to Volkswagen?

Like Saab and countless other brands before, Alfa Romeo is at a tipping point. The famed Italian automaker, which once stunned the world with its gorgeous styling and motorsport victories, is now losing an estimate €200 million (US$265 million) per annum. It’s hard to believe that the company that brought us cars like the GTA, the Spider and the 158/159 Alfetta could be reduced to such a sad state of affairs.

Sergio Marchionne, the unwavering CEO of Fiat and its subsidiaries, is determined to turn the ailing automaker around. Meanwhile, Volkswagen is sniffing around for more brands and smells a potential winner in the Milanese company.

There are many arguments for and against selling Alfa Romeo to ze Germans. Here are the ones we’ve covered in our previous article:

The Case For Selling Alfa Romeo

• Alfa Romeo is valued at €1.5 to 2 billion. By selling what equates to their biggest loser, Fiat would emerge virtually debt free.
• The brand’s dismissal would save Fiat a further €1.5 billion that it would of spent product R&D over the next four years.
• Fiat would also save €200 million a year in losses.
• Alfa’s departure could potentially allow for Dodge to return to Europe as Fiat’s sporty brand, with Fiat remaining the first choice for entry level buyers and Lancia / Chrysler for those seeking something a little more upmarket.
• Volkswagen has worked wonders with Bentley, Seat and Bugatti. Can you think of a better mother hen for one of Italy’s finest?

The Case Against Selling Alfa Romeo

• If Fiat can survive until 2014, analysts predict it will emerge with no debt and fatter profit margins. And that’s with Alfa Romeo.
• Fiat could net the same amount of lira by selling three of its OEM suppliers: Magneti Marelli, Comau and Teksid.
• After Fiat’s expected 2014 recovery, the Milanese automaker is expected to account for 10% of Fiat’s sales.
• Fiat has plans to share platforms between Alfa Romeo, Chrysler and Jeep, helping all three brands. Without the platform sharing, Chrysler and Jeep will continue struggle and Fiat’s push into the Chinese and Russian markets will be delayed.
• With Fiat focusing primarily on small cars, it would have to develop new mid-sized and large car models to fill the gap left by the departing Alfa.

So there you have it: five points for and five points against. All that’s left now is to cast your vote, so get voting!

By Tristan Hankins

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Should Fiat Sell Alfa Romeo to the VW Group?

James Robbins’ Corvette Design Study: Close But No Cigar

Here at Carscoop, we love us some Corvette design studies. Heck, if we wanted to we could probably serve up a new one every day of the week.

Today’s CAD mock up comes from transportation design student James Robbins. Think of it as a C6.5, a stopgap measure between the current gen Corvette and a future C7 model. The design brief required Mr. Robbins to use the basic proportions of the C6, which limited what could be done with the design.

Now here’s my two cents:

I find the shape of the bootlid and the V-shaped side intakes to be quite pleasing to the eye, but the ugly Dodge Viper / Ferrari 458 Italia taillights don’t fit the car at all. Also, the front end styling is a bit too conservative and I feel that more could have been done with the glasshouse. The overall design is good but it’s hard to say if that’s due to Mr. Robbins’ tweaking or the C6’s nice proportions.

I can’t help but feel that with a little more work around the head- and taillights, this could have been a real stunner. As it stands, it’s a good effort though just not quite there. But don’t take my word for it. Voice your own opinion in our comments section.

By Tristan Hankins

Designer: James Robbins , Via: Yankodesign

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