Smart has, as flagged up last week, shown off the concept version of its new all-electric #2 two-seat city car at the Beijing motor show.
Is the Smart #2 a return to the brand's roots?
It is, and a welcome one. Smart's recent SUV models have been impressive for the most part, as we found in our Smart #1 review and Smart #3 review, but this #2 concept confirms that the brand is heading back to the small-car idea it was built on.
That goes right back to the original Mercedes-Swatch collaboration, before Swatch stepped away and the car reached production as the Smart City-Coupé, later the ForTwo.
Is Mercedes still involved with Smart?
Yes. Smart is now co-owned by Mercedes and Chinese car giant Geely, which also controls Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Lynk & Co and Zeekr. The cars are, broadly speaking, designed in Germany and built in China.
Is the Smart #2 a two-seater only?
Yes, this concept is a strict two-seater. That said, Smart and Mercedes have developed a new 'ECA' platform for it, so there is scope for another model to spin off from it, possibly a very small four-seat replacement for the old ForFour.
For now, we know the #2 concept has a range of close to 300km, is 2.7 metres long, which makes it fractionally longer than the old ForTwo, and has a turning circle of just 6.95 metres. Smart has not disclosed a battery size yet, but says the production car will be able to charge from 10 to 80 per cent in less than 20 minutes and will also get vehicle-to-load, or V2L, capability.
Is the Smart #2 electric only?
Yes. There is a compact electric motor at the rear, but Smart has not yet confirmed any power figures. We would expect, in keeping with tradition and in line with the rest of the current Smart # line-up, that a quicker Brabus version will arrive later. There have even been whispers of a two-motor, four-wheel-drive model.
Will the production Smart #2 look like this?
More or less, yes. Expect the wheels to be toned down and a few smaller details to change, but this should be close to the finished car. Bastian Baudy, chief design officer at Mercedes, said, "With the Smart Concept #2, we reimagine our iconic two-seater - as a design model of the perfect city car and stylish companion for a stroll through town.”
When will the Smart #2 go on sale?
That is not clear yet, but it will almost certainly be 2027 before the #2 shows up in Irish dealerships. We'll keep you posted.