Five years of living smart in the city

The smart 5th anniversary edition (left) and the smart 2015 New Year edition. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Big, in the city

In 2009, smart first arrived in 12 Chinese cities, where it charmed local consumers with its unique urban mobility concept.

"Of course, the strong product offering is one of the main pillars for smart's successful story in China," said Winkler. "It's a product perfect for urban mobility and the success is owed largely to tailor-made special edition models offered exclusively to trendy Chinese customers."

This strategy has continued in 2014, and in honor of five years of success in China, smart launched two distinct new special editions to an excited audience in Shanghai.

The smart 5th Anniversary edition celebrates smart's 5-year journey in China with a host of locally-inspired design elements.

These include a body and tridion safety cell (the outer casing of the car) in distinctive China red, as well as red seams on the seats, dashboard, kneepad and door bags, which will be sure to make this vehicle the center of attention this winter.

The smart 2015 New Year edition is perfect for customers wanting to stand out from the crowd with a high quality, eye-catching vehicle.

Its new hazelnut brown metallic body panels bring added charm, and when paired with its black tridion safety cell, it feels as energizing as a silky, toffee nut latte.

"And also, the innovative marketing accelerates its success, as smart during the past five years in China pioneered different marketing and sales campaigns on online platforms," said Winkler.

This April, the brand became the first automaker to conduct sales via WeChat, China's largest social media platform.

Following the successful marketing strategy, Winkler contributed the last pillar to the enhanced dealer network.

In the past five years, having made its way to 77 cities via 143 outlets, the super agile two-seater continues to lead the charge towards a new urban lifestyle wherever it goes.

Along the way, the visionary car brand has been dedicated to realizing a big idea - making the most out of essentials for urban joy, and creating positive attitudes towards life and towards the cities we all live in.

And the smart spirit has been welcomed by Chinese urbanites with open arms. Hardly limited to a specific age demographic, profession, or income bracket, smart fans in China are instead united in their modern approach to city life.