14 hours ago
8
A new generation of the 'original' Smart car – the two-door hatchback – is due from October this year, as a new concept teases what's to come for the return of the city-focused two-seater.
Electric Cars
Smart will return to its roots with a new pint-sized, two-door city hatchback in the spirit of the old ForTwo – now named #2 – previewed by a concept, ahead of the production model's reveal in Paris in October.
The Concept #2 is a near-production look at the showroom-bound Smart #2, which will be developed as an electric car only, rather than converted from petrol power like its predecessor.
It uses a new Electric Compact Architecture (ECA), and will be the largest Smart city hatch yet, at 2792mm long, up from 2695mm in the prior model, though it is still more than one metre shorter than most five-door city cars.
Smart claims a 6.95-metre turning circle, and the "wheels-at-the-corners" stance of earlier iterations.
The brand has announced targets of up to 300 kilometres of driving range, DC fast charging capable of a 10 to 80 per cent recharge in under 20 minutes, and vehicle-to-load (V2L) for powering electrical devices from the car's battery.
The Concept #2 has been styled by the Mercedes-Benz design team, with Smart operated as a joint venture between the German car giant and China's Geely since 2020.
The production version of the Smart #2, the successor to the ForTwo, is due to be revealed at its world premiere at the Paris motor show in October.
The concept has been shown alongside the first-ever Smart sedan, the #6 EHD hybrid, which is set to go on sale in China after its debut at this week's Beijing motor show.
Electric Cars Guide
