Return of Two-Seat Smart Car Teased With Concept #2 Unveiling

An all-new two-seater Smart car is confirmed to be making a return following the unveiling of a concept that will heavily influence a forthcoming production version.

The company, which is comprised of a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely, presented a first glimpse of the Smart Concept #2, which will ultimately become a new generation of ‘Smart car’, as it is colloquially known.

Set to be called the Smart #2, the concept was unveiled at the Smart Global Brand Event boasting a silhouette familiar to fans of the original model, which was first unveiled back in 1998 as the manufacturer’s inaugural model.

The ambitious city car – which was later known as the Smart ForTwo - was pitched as a trendy urban mobility solution with its short length sub-2.7m length making it ideal for congested cities, while the manufacturer famously claimed it could fit into parking space perpendicularly.

While the finer aspects of its design would evolve over the next couple of decades, the fundamental look of the original – considered by many to be an automotive style icon – remained largely unaltered.

As such, the Concept #2 doesn’t stray too far from that original blueprint, while it is expected that the final production version will look very similar to this prototype.

With this in mind, expect the profile, head and taillight design and general proportions to remain unchanged.

It’s less clear which of the Concept #2’s more outlandish design exercises will make it to the showroom model, though the original model was renowned for pushing the boundaries with design and customising so the potential for these is huge.

That could include pixelated lighting functions in the front and rear bumpers, which can be used to spell out icons or numbers, transparent wheel covers, luggage-strap style mouldings on the front and quirky two-tonne matte paintwork.

What Will Power the Smart #2?

For now, the Smart Concept #2 is exactly that, so the finer details of the interior design and specifications for the electric powertrain will only be known when the production version is revealed in due course.

However, the Smart #2 as it is to be known, will only be available with electric power due to the brand’s commitment to offering only EVs in Europe.

Under the skin, the Smart #2 has been developed around a brand-new Electric Compact Architecture platform developed in conjunction with both Mercedes-Benz and Geely.

The size of the battery and range figures haven’t been communicated but Smart believes it will be double the durability of the since discontinued ForTwo, so expect around 200-miles.

Why the Smart #2 is Crucial for the Brand

The origins of the Smart Car [pictured above] stretch back to the 90’s when the model was developed as a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Swiss watchmaker, Swatch.

While Mercedes-Benz took on the full responsibility for the company by the time the model was launched, it split ownership 50/50 with Geely in 2019.

As such, this is the first two-seater Smart that Geely has been involved in the development with.

The return of the two-seater Smart is seen as critical to the company’s image since the brand is still best-known for the original model, despite a significant expansion of the range in recent years.

Indeed, after confirming plans to go all-electric, Smart has widened its offerings to include the #1, #3 and #5 electric SUVs, while it will soon offer the #6 in China, its first-ever saloon.