The diminutive smart fortwo (yes, this means it is a car for two people) has what is claimed to be the largest polycarbonate roof module of any vehicle produced.

Although the smart fortwo vehicle, which will be available in the U.S. early in ’08, is a comparatively small car—wheelbase: 73.5 in.; length: 106.1 in.; width: 61.4 in.; height: 60.7 in.—it has something that not even the biggest Maybach offers. “With an area of around 1.2 square meters, this is to date the largest polycarbonate roof module fitted in a production-line vehicle anywhere in the world,” claims Dr. Sven Gestermann, key account manager, Automotive Glazing for Europe, Bayer MaterialScience AG (www.bayerbms.com; Leverkusen, Germany). The roof module is made by Webasto AG (www.webasto.com) at a facility in Stockdorf, Germany.

The module is produced with two-component injection-compression molding: (1) the transparent outsider skin is made with a polycarbonate, Makrolon AG2677; (2) the large area frame is then produced with Bayblend DP T95 MF.

Although it is a large component, it is estimated to weigh 40% less than a comparable glass module.

And apparently while big, there could be bigger roof modules to come: “Tests at our company have shown that, with present-day materials and modern injection-compression molding tools and machinery, low-stress roofs with an area of up to 1.7 square meters are quite feasible,” according to Gestermann.