http://wot.motortrend.com/1408_yo_time_to_get_a_smart_electric_car.html Yo, Time to Get a Smart Electric Car By Megan Stewart | August 21, 2014
[images http://wot.motortrend.com/1408_yo_time_to_get_a_smart_electric_car.html/2013-smart-fortwo-passion-coupe-trio/ Gallery - Smart EV ] Mercedes-Benz and Smart has teamed up with the messaging app Yo to offer a special promotion in hopes of exciting the San Francisco millennial market with its new campaign. Anyone who sends the company a "Yo" will get a free ride in a Smart electric vehicle. To help spread the word about this promotion, the automaker will be placing pop-up signs in two locations in San Francisco, the Mission and SoMa. All those who send the small phrase will get picked up and taken anywhere in the city. While we won't see the next version of the smart until sometime next year, this is a good way to help build anticipation for the next model that features hefty updates. "The main priority is to get people to drive the vehicle, and tapping into that Yo audience is a great way to do that. We're giving 'Electricurious' San Franciscans the world's first-ever Yo-powered test ride," said Mercedes-Benz spokesman Eric Angeloro in an interview with TechCrunch. While this is a very niche campaign, Mercedes-Benz is hopeful that it will be as successful as similar programs, like Chevrolet's "Catch a Chevy" during SXSW in downtown Austin, Texas. As one of Smart's most successful markets, San Francisco provides the perfect city to hold this event, thanks to limited parking and even tighter parking spots. However, the automaker is concerned about the possibility of tipping, San Francisco's version of cow-tipping. While the city only had six cases, this trend has picked up in other cities since the launch of the first Smart cars. Despite all this, the Smart electric cars have a 68-mile range thanks to a 17.6 kW battery, making it a good fit for urban traffic. We enjoyed our time behind the wheel of the 2013 smart fortwo, and it's single-charge range is plenty to travel around the city of San Francisco. The new campaign will also be using gas-powered models, and out of the eight that will be out and about for use, only three will be electric. Will this be enough to draw in that supposed 'Electrocurious' crowd? [© 2014 MotorTrend Magazine] ... http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/hatchbacks/1407_2016_smart_fortwo_first_look/?web=SIM:MT|WOT:MT|Reviews 2016 Smart Fortwo First Look http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/20/move-over-uber-sf-residents-can-yo-a-smart-car-to-take-them-anywhere-they-want-tomorrow/ Move Over, Uber, SF Residents Can “Yo” A Smart Car To Take Them Anywhere They Want Tomorrow Aug 20, 2014 by Sarah Buhr [image http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/screen-shot-2014-08-20-at-2-36-39-pm.png?w=689 (Watts of Fun) - Smart EV convertable ] A very gimmicky Mercedes-Benz campaign hopes to tap into the SF tech millennial market tomorrow by offering free rides in its smart electric vehicles to anyone who sends them a “Yo.” Starting at noon on August 21, smart will place pop-up signs at two outdoor locations in San Francisco – one in the Mission and one in SoMa. Anyone who reads the sign and then sends out a “Yo” to “smartUSA” will get picked up on the spot and taken to wherever they tell the driver to go. “The main priority is to get people to drive the vehicle, and tapping into that Yo audience is a great way to do that,” says Mercedes-Benz spokesman Eric Angeloro. “We’re giving ‘Electricurious’ San Franciscans the world’s first-ever Yo-powered test ride.” The campaign is niche for sure. As Angeloro puts it, “Our cars are simple and so is Yo” — though Yo is sorta not so simple anymore. It has links, hashtags and a bunch of other built-in features that now give users a more robust experience within the app. One might even say it’s a bit more complicated than Secret now. The idea for this event is reminiscent of the sort of stuff Chevy does at SXSW every year. The “Catch a Chevy” campaign has been picking up attendees and motoring them through downtown Austin during the Interactive portion every year for the last four years. Both these types of campaigns attempt to grab the attention of a tech-savvy, pro-enviro audience. Angeloro says this one is perfect for the San Francisco crowd because of parking. If you’ve ever tried to park in our fair city, you know we have a serious dearth of spots. Oh sure, once in a while you get tricked into thinking your car might just fit in an open spot, only to realize it’s a good four inches too small. The smart cars are perfect for this. And in addition to being easier to park, they don’t require gas while you putter around town. These pint-sized coupes were subject to tipping crimes in the city earlier this summer. Sort of SF’s version of cow-tipping. This trend has been going on nationwide since smart cars hit in 2011, according to NBC. There were six reported SF incidents in all. With a 17.6kWh battery that provides a range of 68 miles, the compact, plug-in smart car is able to take commuters anywhere within SF city limits. Angeloro says there will be 8 vehicles out and about tomorrow, three of which will be electric and five gas-powered just in case. We’ll see if the campaign makes any millennials more “Electricurious” though. 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