You may have heard in the news that it's all change here at smart. And you'd be right.

We are returning to our roots and plan to focus solely on the production of the smart fortwo - securing its status as the iconic small car brand.

We're proud to say that smart has been the most successful automotive brand introduction in the past ten years.

Here are a few snippets to show why we're confident the smart brand will continue to flourish under the smart fortwo:

* Its unique design has helped the car and brand achieved cult status in many countries around the world.

* It is continuing to go from strength to strength, establishing an excellent market position despite the unfavourable current economic climate.

* The smart fortwo has been a hugely popular car for over eight years - this kind of lifecycle performance is almost unheard of in the automotive industry.

* 2007 will see the successor to the smart fortwo - so as for the future, we're well and truly here to stay.

To achieve this focus we plan to discontinue production of the smart forfour.

Approximately 100,000 smart forfours have been sold globally since the market launch in April 2004.

And the company has attracted some high-profile customers with Inspector Clouseau driving a fortwo in the "The Pink Panther" movie.

In this fast-moving remake of the legendary detective comedy, the film features the smart fortwo as a mobile companion for Inspector Clouseau. Well represented throughout the movie, the fun and funky two-seater came across as an action hero with bags of wit and personality, whose size alone gave it plenty of advantages around town.

The forfour has been a popular car and the plan to discontinue is not because of the product itself.

Unfortunately, the cut-throat competition and economic situation means staying in the segment is unfeasible.

Customers should rest assured that we will continue to offer customers professional service for all models (including the smart forfour) at smart centres and many Mercedes-Benz retailers, as well as the long-term service and supply of spare parts.

So whilst we're sad about the planned discontinuation of the smart forfour, we are definitely looking forward to the future.

Keep an eye on the website, to be the first in the know about the new fortwo.