First Sight: Smart Fortwo and Forfour

"Dress-down Wednesday," remarked a colleague as Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche walked on stage wearing jeans and no tie. While it was a hot day in Berlin, Zetsche's excuse for his informal attire was the occasion – the new Smart is here. Its prospective owners, he explained – young, urban consumers with an active lifestyle, not the typical members of corporate Germany – adhere to a different, if similarly rigid etiquette.

Mercedes B Class F-Cell Hydrogen launched

Mercedes has announced the Hydrogen-Powered B-Class F-Cell The B Class F-Cell will go in to limited production later this year, and be leased to 200 customers in Europe and the US. The electric motor on the F-Cell is reckoned to be comparable to a 2.0 litre petrol car, but can manage the equivalent of 86.6 mpg. But it doesn’t suffer from the drawbacks of plug-in electric cars, taking just 3 minutes to refuel.

Mitsubishi to make Outlander Sport at Illinois plant

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said Friday it will invest $100 million to build the Outlander Sport crossover at its Normal, Ill., plant starting in summer 2012. Mitsubishi expects annual output of 50,000 units, with half dedicated to North America and the rest for export to Russia, Latin America and the Middle East.