One Million smart fortwos: Today the one-millionth fortwo rolled off the line in Hambach

Hambach, France - The one million smart fortwo rolled off the production line Wednesday at the Hambach plant in the Alsace Lorraine region of northeastern France. The smart is also celebrating its 10th birthday.

Dr. Deiter Zetsche, president and CEO of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, was on hand to congratulate the Hambach team on their accomplishments. "The continuing rising demand shows the success and the potential of the smart fortwo from Hambach. This year we have already sold 90,000 cars, more than 16,000 of them in the USA. From mid 2009 the smart will also become a familiar sight on Chinese roads."

The one-millionth, a micro hybrid drive (mhd) in the passion line-up, is decked out in metallic silver and will be donated to charity.

Zetsche also commented on the second generation of the smart fortwo electric: "From the end of 2009 we will produce a small series of the smart fortwo electric drive with a lithium-ion battery." The new battery package will yield higher performance with longer life and higher reliability.

Anders Sundt Jansen, head of brand management at smart said, "The smart is particularly sought-after in the USA which, even in the first year of the market launch, has become the third strongest market after Italy and Germany. There it is already a familiar sight on the roads of cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, Washington DC, San Francisco and Phoenix."

Watch our smart fortwo video, as Emile Bouret struts this urban warrior's stuff.