Smart has spent the past several years rebooting its brand. Thus far, we’ve seen a flurry of all-electric SUVs, a sedan, and even a hybrid powertrain. Yet, weirdly, Smart hasn’t done anything with the car that started its whole journey, the Fortwo. Smart’s tiny city car died two years ago with no successor in sight. That changes today. Smart is showing off the concept for the upcoming Smart #2 city car for the first time, and I’m irrationally excited for the world’s coolest city car.
The original Smart Fortwo died in 2024 without fanfare. It was a sad end to the car that launched Smart in 1998. When Smart started its rebirth in 2019, it started with the #1 crossover that went on sale in 2022. Then came the #3 crossover, the #5 crossover, and then the #6 sedan? But the Fortwo? It continued to sell with its old body until 2024. Smart didn’t even keep its famous Smartville factory in Hambach, France, and sold it to Ineos. The last Fortwos weren’t built by Smart, but by Ineos under contract. Then, the Fortwo was killed off without a successor in sight. Smart was a crossover brand, now.
Winds of change came in 2025 when Smart decided that the city car market in markets like Europe and China was growing, and thus, worth taking another swing at. Eventually, Smart became committed to bringing the Fortwo back under the new company’s “Hashtag” naming scheme. Since then, Smart has been secretive about the #2, only showing the public shadows and hints, but nothing to actually look at. Today, that finally changes. After two years of waiting, Smart fans finally get to see the Fortwo’s successor, and it’s a real cutie. It’s also slightly disappointing, but we’ll get to that.
The new Smart #2 looks stunning, but also departs from its three generations of predecessors in some ways. This comes down to Smart’s bizarre recent history.
Looking Smart
Back in 2014, Smart presented the third-generation Fortwo to the world. It was supposed to right many of the perceived wrongs of the second-generation model. Indeed, the new car finally ditched the single-clutch automated-manual transmission that so many people hated. In its place was a smooth dual-clutch transmission or the option for an honest three-pedal manual; the first in the history of the Fortwo. The Fortwo also got slightly wider to accommodate people with broad shoulders and softer to deal with harsh roads. It even got a two-box design that made the Fortwo look bigger than it actually was.
The awesome part about the new Fortwo was that it was most of a Renault Twingo III, but with the rear seats removed. Smart even brought the Forfour back for people who thought two seats were too few. That one was 70 percent of a Twingo, and mostly Smart in appearance. The new Smarts were even rather quick for tiny cars, though the fuel economy was still too low for many folks here in America.
After years of trying to sell these cars and even going all-electric, Smart’s parent, Mercedes-Benz, needed help. In 2019, Geely purchased 50 percent of Smart. Production and engineering of future Smart models would move to China, one of the places that still loves Smart. Today’s Smarts have all-electric platforms by Geely and styling by Mercedes-Benz.
So, the new #2 looks radically different from the Fortwo. The biggest change is that Smart’s characteristic “Tridion Safety Cell” is gone. One of the distinctive design traits of a Smart, which goes back to when the company launched production in the 1990s, was that the safety cage of the vehicle was also a visual element. It was a neat and unique way to display how safe Smarts were.
Smart ditched that design element starting in 2022 with the #1 crossover. Admittedly, I still held on to hope that the Tridion Safety Cell would return for the #2, if only for nostalgia’s sake. Alas, the designers at the Mercedes-Benz Global Design Team had other plans.
The #2 looks a lot like the #1, but a #1 that spent too much time in the wash. It even has the same floating roof-style design. Smart says it’s a bit more than that, from the press copy:
Guided by the brand’s overarching design philosophy of “Love, Pure, Unexpected,” the Concept #2 is exclusively styled by the Mercedes-Benz Global Design Team. Adopting a unique “Function becomes Fashion” lens, it elevates the city car beyond mere utility. Reduced to its essence, the pure and compact silhouette serves as an effortless canvas for individuality. This is consistently brought to life through generous volumes, a striking matte white and warm gold two-tone palette, and fine leather hardware, while hidden, unexpected details playfully emerge beneath translucent surfaces. Engineered on smart’s all-new, self-developed proprietary Electric Compact Architecture (ECA), the upcoming series-production model smart #2 will represent the reinvention of the ultimate two-seater city car.
One of the more subtle differences between this concept and previous Fortwos is that the doors are rather square. In the past, they followed a half-circle and were so big that the doors had two windows. This time, the doors are shaped like the ones on the Scion iQ, and terminate before what appears to be a false second window.
Some nods to the past carry over. The #2 concept has a two-box body that is shaped roughly like a third-generation car, and the concept also has afterburner-style taillights that look like an evolution of the pre-facelift third-generation Fortwo’s taillights.
Keeping It Small
Smart does not show any images of the interior of the concept, but does provide some useful information. The concept vehicle measures about 9.16 feet long (2792mm), or only slightly longer than the 8.8 feet (2,695mm) of the previous two generations. That’s only a 3.8-inch difference!
As for what’s under the body, Smart is saying that the car will have a range of up to 186 miles, DC fast-charging, the ability to top up from 10 percent to 80 percent in under 20 minutes, and Vehicle-to-Load capability. Smart is not revealing any other specs at this time. However, what we do know already is that the new car will have more than double the range of the old electric Smart.
The production version is due to launch at the Paris Motor Show in October 2026. So, this is real, and it’s happening!
I’m So Stoked
Honestly, I’m almost irrationally excited. The Fortwo has been neglected for so long, and it’s oh-so-awesome to see Smart going back to its roots. I’m sure the crossovers are great and bring much-needed cash to Smart’s coffers, but Smart without a Fortwo would be like Porsche without a 911. It just didn’t feel right. Now, it’s like Smart is getting the gang back together.
The last time I was this excited for a Smart was when the brand was teasing the concepts that would lead to the third-generation model back in the 2010s. Today, just like I did back then, I’m obsessing over every little detail. I even like the stupid little leather door pull with the wash symbols on it. I hope that doesn’t make it over to the production car, but on a concept, I like it!
But I’m still disappointed that Smart abandoned the Tridion Safety Cell. Of course, this car will probably be safer than any Fortwo of the past, but using safety as a visual element made Smart stand out in what used to be the crowded market of city cars.
I’m also saddened that Smart still shows no plans to come back to America. If there’s any time that Smart could do better in America, it would be now. It has a lineup of crossovers, a sedan, and now even a hybrid powertrain. A revived Smart USA could make money on the hybrid and the crossovers, then sell the #2 to the dozens of us who remain diehard Smart fans. But if Smart wanted to come back to America, it would have to dig into the quagmire of political tensions between America and China. So, I’ll have to continue to enjoy Smart from afar.
I’ll do just that, too, because I can’t wait to see this new car, even if I won’t be able to buy it. Does the world have room for another city car? I have no idea, but Smart thinks so. Either way, I’m going to be counting down the days until October!
Top graphic image: Smart
The post Smart Is Finally Showing The World The True Fortwo Successor And I’m Irrationally Excited appeared first on The Autopian.
