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New smart fortwo electric drive enters production

Mercedes has announced that the third generation 2012 smart fortwo electric drive has gone in to production. Mercedes may, very sensibly, be pursuing hydrogen fuel cells as the real future of motoring but they still have an eye on electric cars as urban runarounds. That urban EV takes shape as the Smart EV, and the third generation smart fortwo ED (electric drive) debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March and has now gone in to production.

Crashing the Pixar Motorama car show

The animated film studio Pixar sits behind newly aged brick walls on a sprawling campus in the East Bay that looks and seems a little like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, especially since you can't get inside. But we've been inside, and it is a pretty wonderful place. On July 12 Pixar's Jay Ward, guardian of the "Cars" franchise and all the wheeled wonders that entails, organized the latest Pixar Motorama, the greatest car show you'll never see.

Maybach coupe set for limited production

German-based engineering specialist Xenatec has announced plans for an exclusive new Maybach coupe to rival the Bentley Brooklands and the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. The new two-door, which will ride on the same underpinnings and draw power from the same engine as the Maybach 57S, is planned to be built in a limited run of 100 cars at the company’s workshop in Weinsberg, Germany, all with the blessing of Maybach parent company, Daimler. Daimler has carefully followed the car’s development and will supply built-up 57S chassis from its nearby Sindelfingen-based manufacturing headquarters.