The world of electric automobiles is full of huge SUVs and heavy crossovers. However, the brand that formerly owned the “tiny car” crown is finally coming back to the city. Smart showed off its newest creation, the Concept #2. This little EV offers a glance at the future of the iconic two-seater city vehicle – it still looks like a Smart, but it has altered quite a little. It became taller and longer, and we can point the blame to Mercedes-Benz for the growth spurt.
Smart used to be famous for manufacturing cars so small you could park them sideways. After the original Fortwo stopped manufacture in 2024, many worried if the company would solely make huge SUVs now. The Concept #2 illustrates that Smart still worries about tight city streets. The new vehicle was developed by the team at Mercedes-Benz, but it employs technology from Geely – it is a mix of German style and Chinese hardware.
When you look at the Concept #2, you perceive a recognizable shape. It features two doors, almost no hood, and wheels pushed all the way to the corners. But if it looks a little bigger than you recall, that’s because it is. The automobile measures 2,792 mm long, making it almost 30 cm longer than the very first Smart car. It is also 97 mm longer than the last electric Smart EQ ForTwo we saw.
Mercedes is “to blame” for this extra length since they wanted a car that seemed more modern and comfortable, but even with the extra size, this EV is still a shrimp compared to other electric cars. It is 840 mm shorter than a Fiat 500e, and about a meter shorter than the Renault Twingo E-Tech. In the world of cars, it lies in a peculiar middle ground. It is bigger than tiny “quadricycles” like the Citroen Ami, but smaller than practically every other car on the road.
The design has some extremely weird touches that might not make it to the final version. It boasts LED headlights that seem aggressive and daytime running lights that actually spell out “#2.” Smart designed the grille look like a piece of luxury baggage, and instead of standard metal door handles, the concept employs leather straps. The roof has a bright gold finish that helps it stand out in a crowd.
Underneath the attractive body lies a new platform called the Electric Compact Architecture (ECA). Smart has not disclosed every single detail yet, but they did give us some significant numbers.The Smart #2 is supposed to have a 400 km (CLTC) range. For a little city car, that is a major deal given the prior model could only drive about 135 km before needing a top-up.
There has been a noticeable improvement in charging as well. The battery can be fully charged in under 20 minutes, going from 10% to 80%. You can charge other devices, like a laptop or a portable grill, from the car’s battery thanks to its “Vehicle-to-Load” technology. The engine will most likely remain located in the trunk and drive the rear wheels, much like in previous Smart vehicles. Perfect for congested urban areas, this allows the vehicle to spin in extremely small circles.
We do not have images of the inside yet, but Smart claims it will be “premium.” With only two seats, the designers had more room to make the interior feel big. Since Mercedes handled the design, we anticipate the materials to feel high-quality. The production version of the new Smart will formally debut at the Paris Motor Show in October, and it will likely be on sale in Europe and the UK initially.
