The Smart brand is best known for its diminutive Fortwo city car that was so small that people would tip them on their hind-end as a prank, and despite Smart leaving the U.S. market in 2019, it still is a thriving car company with multiple different models in many countries outside the United States. The last Fortwo rolled off the line in 2024, and since then the brand has only produced bigger, four-door cars, but last year it promised a successor for the Fortwo was on the way. Now Smart has pushed out a new concept that previews the next-generation electric city car, called the #2.
Though at first it doesn't look massively different from the old model, it's built on Smart's new self-developed, proprietary Electric Compact Architecture (ECA), which Smart says should achieve a nearly 186-mile range on the European WLTP cycle and charge from 10% to 80% in under 20 minutes. That will be a massive upgrade over the old Fortwo EQ, which had a WLTP range of just 75 miles. And don't worry, it's still quite small, growing just 3.9 inches to 109.9 inches overall.
As far as concept cars go, the #2's design isn't especially revolutionary, but the devil is in the details. As you get closer to the concept you notice some neat touches like the patterned front "grille" section with straps and gold buckle-like design details that remind me of a Louis Vuitton handbag.
Kai Sieber, Head of Design at Smart said, "the Concept #2 translates our bold personality into a new era where 'Function becomes Fashion.' It is not only about clever practicality but serves as a true extension of personal identity." The production model of the #2 will debut at the Paris Motor Show later this year, and you can expect it to look very similar to this concept. Smart says it will come to Europe, China, and other select markets, but given the state of our country right now, it's almost certainly not coming to U.S. shores.
Now co-owned by Mercedes-Benz and Chinese automotive giant Geely, Smart is basically copying Mini's homework as a brand that initially only sold tiny city cars, but has since started selling trendy premium crossovers. Smart's current lineup is comprised of the #1 electric subcompact crossover, the #3 electric fastback crossover, and the #5 crossover, which is sized like a Tesla Model Y and offered with either electric or plug-in powertrains. The company insists their names are pronounced like 'hashtag three' rather than number three.