Holy Crap, Smart Really Is Making A New City Car And Here’s How Tiny It’s Going To Be

For about a year and a half, Smart, the brand known for its tiny city cars, hasn’t had a city car to sell. The brand has a lineup of three compelling electric SUVs and is now working on a plug-in hybrid sedan, but Smart’s trademark city car, the Fortwo, is nowhere to be seen. Smart has recently committed to bringing its city car back, and now, for the first time, it has released images showing signs of life in the #2 project. Let’s take a look!

Smart recently went to the press to talk breathlessly about how it was going back to its roots with a new two-seat city car. Apparently, Smart completed its feasibility studies and thinks it can make some money by returning to the category. But some people didn’t believe Smart – why would it get back into a market that seems so impossibly tiny? Worse, Smart’s only teaser imagery for the new car was some vague shadows. Nobody had any real idea of what the car would look like or how big or small it would be.

On Monday, Smart finally released something tangible to the public. The company doubled down on its commitment to bring back a two-seat city car, and this time, it’s brought images of the functional development mule that’s undergoing track testing in China right now. Oh yeah, I’m getting excited.

Bringing City Cars Back

Smart’s had an impressive comeback since Geely purchased a 50 percent stake in the company back in 2019. The reinvigorated company immediately jumped into profitable segments and launched the all-new Smart #1 electric crossover, which is sized roughly like a Mini Countryman. Smart first considered an SUV back in the mid-2000s and even went through the work to develop one, but ran out of cash before the factory could come online. So, the #1 really just fulfilled a plan that, at the time, was more than 15 years in the making.

Then, Smart really went crazy. Next came the #3, which is one of those silly “coupe SUV” things and measures about as long as a present-generation Chevrolet Trax. Then, Smart came swinging with the #5, which, to my eyes, looks vaguely like a Jeep Renegade, and is sized like a Volkswagen Tiguan.

What’s so neat about all of these crossovers, all of which were launched within the past five years, is that their specs seem pretty neat. They ride on Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture and make up to about 646 horsepower. Yes, a Smart that makes over 600 HP! That’s insane!

Earlier this month, Smart teased its first-ever sedan, the Hashtag 6, and that’s pretty awesome as well. Yes, Smart desperately wants you to know that the pound signs next to its cars’ names mean “hashtag,” not “number.”

What wasn’t so great was what happened to the car that kicked off the Smart brand, the Fortwo. Smart’s original car, which launched in 1998, was sort of ignored in this explosive expansion. Sure, it got some minor updates, but it wasn’t (metaphorically) supercharged by the new Geely relationship.

In 2020, Mercedes-Benz sold Smart’s famous Smartville plant in France to Ineos, and Ineos built the Fortwo under contract until mid-2024. Then, the car was killed, and the nameplate’s future became uncertain. When pressed on the issue, Smart said it wasn’t going to make another city car unless it knew it could be profitable.

In September, Smart had great news when it announced development for the successor to the Fortwo had been greenlit. The reason Smart has decided to do this is the company believes the demand for city cars is rising, and this demand is apparently high enough for Smart to take another swing. Perhaps Smart is not wrong here. I mean, even the American President is talking about Japanese Kei cars now, so maybe some folks are interested in tiny cars again.

Keeping It Tiny

The new #2 is going to be a departure from what Smart has been doing with its crossovers and sedan. This car will not ride on the Sustainable Experience Architecture. Instead, Smart is cooking up a new platform just for the tiny city car. This platform is called the Electric Compact Architecture (ECA), and, to test it out, Smart’s engineers have prepared a functional mule.

If you know your Smarts, you probably have already identified that the test mule is wearing the body of a third-generation Fortwo (sold from 2016 to 2019 in America). Smart says that your eyes don’t deceive you, and it really is an old Fortwo with the new ECA bones under the camo. Smart says that, in using Fortwo bodies to test the new platform, the company is confirming that the new car will be just as tiny as the outgoing model.

There’s other good news, too, from Smart:

As well as its distinctive ultra-compact size, the #2 will retain the fortwo’s two-door, two-seat configuration, real-wheel drive dynamics and signature wheels-at-the-corners stance. This DNA, however, is just the starting point for the complete reinvention of smart’s city two-seater. With a fully redesigned interior and exterior from the Mercedes-Benz design team, the smart #2 will launch with a fresh identity. The new ECA architecture will provide the basis for a next-generation electric drivetrain, advanced safety, and an urban driving experience that’s unlike anything else.

The latest tests on the ECA architecture have been enabled by a creative engineering solution: integrating the new platform into existing smart fortwo bodies, creating a fleet of highly representative test vehicles. Leveraging these prototypes, smart’s R&D team is carrying out validation work at specialized facilities globally. At a proving ground in China, engineers are focusing on core driving dynamics: refining ride and handling for city agility, verifying structural strength, and optimizing brake system performance. Simultaneously, other testing locations are validating crash safety performance, suspension durability, battery performance, software systems, and climate control systems across various conditions – all integral steps in preparing the vehicle for its next stage of testing, and ultimately, series production.

I will note that the practice of using a previous generation’s body for development mules is standard practice for Smart. When Smart developed the Formore SUV in 2006, the test mules were Smart Forfours with giant metal grates welded onto the back. When Smart was developing the third-generation Fortwo, the test mules were Renault Twingos – sliced in half!

Something I find neat about this new mule is that it probably started life as a base model Fortwo, like a Pure. Yes, I can see that through the camo! It has the model’s pre-facelift halogen headlights and the basic taillights that were used on lower trim levels.

If the production #2 is sized anything like the mule, it’s going to be a properly tiny car. The second-generation and third-generation Fortwos, which launched in 2008 and 2016 in America, respectively, measured only 8.8 feet long. In a world where cars get bigger with every generation, Smart kept the same length, but made the third-gen model slightly wider. It would be amazing if the #2 keeps the same length.

Smart is still staying out of America for now, and that’s sad. The brand finally has a lineup with a really good chance of selling well in America. Smart is even working on a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. But at the same time, it’s easy to understand taking a cautious approach, given this year’s rollercoaster of tariffs.

Smart says it’s still on track to launch the new car in late 2026. To those of you counting, that means Smart has about a year to meet its deadline. In theory, that means it shouldn’t be long until we start seeing concepts and prototypes.

You bet you’ll hear more about Smart’s progress the moment I do. Is the city car going to make a comeback? I don’t know, but I’m excited!

Hat tip to Jwight!

Top graphic image: Smart