Tokyo - The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced today that its high-performance sport tire S. drive AS01 for overseas markets has been approved as original equipment for the current Smart Fortwo, produced by Daimler-Smart. The sizes are 175/50R16 77T for the front and 215/40R16 82T for the rear. This is the third time Yokohama Rubber's sport tires have been selected as original equipment by Daimler-Smart, including the Smart Fortwo Coupe BRABUS released in 2002 and the Smart Fortwo BRABUS in 2007.

Smart Fortwo is a two-seat micro compact car developed by Daimler-Smart, a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler AG of Germany. With a compact body less than three meters long and comfortable inner space, it boasts nimble drivability and outstanding safety to the standards of Mercedes-Benz.

Based on the S. drive, the S. drive AS01 was developed exclusively for the Smart Fortwo. Meeting the high technological standards required by Daimler-Smart, the S. drive AS01 provides the outstanding driving performance and wet grip expected from next-generation driving tires. The "MO" mark on the side of each tire signifies approval by Daimler. As part of Yokohama Rubber's policy of developing environmentally sound products, the tires also exhibit both improved wear resistance and reduced rolling resistance - environmentally friendly characteristics.

Yokohama Rubber's ". drive" series is a key product for overseas markets and is sold around the world, in Europe, Asia (except Japan), Oceania, North America, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Four models comprise the lineup: the S. drive, the C. drive2 high-performance comfort tire, the A. drive all-round standard tire, and the W. drive winter tire.