New Smart ForTwo will aim to redefine the faltering city car market

Small-car specialist Smart is investigating the feasibility of reinventing its iconic two-seat ForTwo for the modern age, with the firm’s European boss telling us the model will “define the A-segment” by staying true to the company’s core values. 

Speaking exclusively with Auto Express, Smart’s European CEO Dirk Adelmann said to “stay tuned” for more information on the next-generation city car. “The A-segment is, for us, very interesting, because it is growing,” the boss told us. It’s thought the new model could launch by the end of the decade, priced from around £20,000.

Separately, Smart’s head of design Kai Sieber told us: “The ForTwo is the core of our brand. It’s still our very clear intention to bring it back into the range.”

While the new car will most likely retain its compact footprint and spacious interior, it won’t double down on retro design, according to the company’s CEO. Asked whether he and his team are keeping a keen eye on the new Renault 5, as well as established remakes such as the modern MINI and Fiat 500, Adelmann said: “I really like [the R5] from a design perspective; when you sit inside – cool, cool, and cool.

“But if we come back with a vehicle that is significantly smaller in size than #1 and #3, then we will make sure it's a true Smart. That doesn’t have to be retro; Smart doesn’t usually do retro – we are looking at what’s next,” he said.

Given the separation Smart has created between the visually similar #1 and #3, and the new, boxier #5, we expect the firm’s designers to take the new city car in a different direction stylistically.

That said, there are certain non-negotiables, according to Adelmann: “We will definitely have some Smart-family elements,” he told us. “Like frameless doors or the space concept; we’ll put the wheels in the corners. That we will keep, if we go in that direction.”

It’s likely that elements such as the full-width lightbar will be carried over from other Smart models. We’ll probably see another lightbar at the rear, plus a near-vertical rear window and tall roofline to boost interior space.

Inside, expect the same two-seat layout as before, with plenty of head and legroom. The car isn’t likely to raise the stakes when it comes to significant boot capacity, but the tech offering should get a decent uplift – likely using an updated version of the twin-screen layout found in the #1 and #3. Quality should sufficiently justify the proposed price tag, without surpassing the larger, more expensive models in Smart’s product range.

Elsewhere, Adelmann told us that to build a new city car, Smart would “need an investment into a new platform”, suggesting that, as with its ForTwo predecessor, the new model would be considerably smaller than anything else in the maker’s product range. This platform is unlikely to be created completely in-house, but could be developed with help from parent company Geely. Since 2019, Smart has been jointly owned by Geely and Mercedes-Benz.

The new car’s shape was all but confirmed by a revealing sketch posted on social media by design boss Sieber in October last year – showing what looks to be the new car’s side profile; the upright stance of the original ForTwo doesn’t appear to have been significantly diluted, carrying over that car’s short overhangs and abrupt rear end. Beneath it, Sieber has also drawn a more conventional supermini shape – presumably a successor for the ForFour and a future rival for Volkswagen’s forthcoming ID.1.

The European boss went on to list important features that any future ForTwo successor should have: “Interior space, functionality, versatility,” are essential, he said. “Depending on the segment, also the turning circle, parkability and so on. 

“If we are going in that direction, then of course we try to not lose those values, but maybe find another step of enhancing those values,” he told us.

While unconfirmed, we expect this new Smart will use the #2 badge – despite it being significantly smaller than the existing #1. Adelmann told us the recently launched #5 halo car apparently does not represent “the end of [Smart’s] portfolio strategy.”

“We have #1, 3 and 5, so there is still some room for the even numbers. There is more to come,” he said. If the two-seater does take the #2 badge, we can only assume Smart is saving #4 for that aforementioned ID.1 alternative – much like we saw with the now-defunct ForTwo and ForFour, which ended production last year after a decade on sale.

Little is known about what might power the next-generation ForTwo, but Adelmann confirmed that Smart is committed to being an electric-only brand. “If you want to take the traffic decarbonisation seriously, you have to do electric,” he told us. “I'm 100 per cent convinced that we go that direction – all of us in the industry”.

He was also keen to point out that his engineers would need to make sure “the range is what we think it should be – not what the ForTwo had. What's the next level in that segment?”, he asked.

Given that both the Renault 5 and MINI can manage around 250 miles of range fitted with the larger of their two battery options, it’s likely Smart would target a similar figure, comfortably surpassing the Fiat 500e’s 199-mile maximum. The old ForTwo couldn’t even manage 100 miles on the WLTP test cycle.

However, while Smart has moved the goalposts with its new #5 by fitting a hi-tech 800-volt electrical architecture and ultra-rapid 400kW charging speeds, it’s likely things will be kept more modest for the impending #2. Peak speeds of around 100kW would keep things competitive; given the car’s urban focus, anything more might be considered superfluous.

As with other models in the Smart range, there’s even the possibility of a racier Brabus model, with more power and bespoke drive modes. Don’t expect the 400bhp-plus you get on the #1 Brabus, but even 150-200bhp would ensure peppy performance without too much compromise on range or efficiency. Like the firm’s existing Brabus cars, the go-faster #2 would almost certainly get bigger wheels and a subtle bodykit, plus red detailing inside and out.

Admittedly, Adelmann did keep emphasising the word “if” in his comments about a city-car successor to the ForTwo, but insisted his team is “working on it” becoming a production reality. If the boss thinks he can make it financially viable, we could see further sketches over the next 12-18 months, before the inevitable concept car and full reveal later down the line.

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