SMART  CARS

Smart Automobile  is a division of Daimler AG that manufactures and markets the Smart Fortwo. Headquartered in Böblingen, Germany, Smart has marketed a range of vehicles and has its primary assembly plant in Hambach, France.Annette Winkler has served as Smart's CEO since 2010.

Smart uses a lowercase logotype in its branding and a logo incorporating the letter "c" for "compact" and an arrow for "forward thinking".

The design concept for Smart's automobiles began in the late 1980s, associated with Swatch. After a period of backing by Volkswagen, the first model was finally launched by Daimler-Benz in October 1998. Several variants on the original design have been introduced, with the original design, called the Fortwo, now in its second generation and available as an electric version.

In the late 1980s, SMH (makers of the Swatch brand of watches) CEO Nicolas Hayek began developing an idea for a new car using the same type of manufacturing strategies and personalization features used to popularize Swatch watches. He believed that the automotive industry had ignored a sector of potential customers who wanted a small and stylish city car. This idea soon became known as the "Swatchmobile". Hayek's private company Hayek Engineering AG began designing the new car for SMH, with seating for two and a hybrid drivetrain.