Smart #2, a two-seater urban electric with 300 km of range

The Smart brand was born in 1994, as an urban, elegant and chic subsidiary of the Daimler group, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz. At that time, the idea of manufacturing an urban vehicle with the Mercedes star seemed little less than a pipe dream, and the subsidiary's objective was to compete with a distinctive and aspirational product in the urban vehicle segment. In 1998, Smart began its commercial expansion with a convertible model called the Smart Roadster and the small four-door urban car Smart Forfour, although without achieving the commercial objectives set by Daimler. In fact, the group lost a lot of money with the commercial launch of Smart, to the point of gradually numbing the brand until 2019, when Daimler announced an agreement with the Chinese manufacturer Geely to establish a joint venture and a co-ownership system of Smart between the two industrial groups. Geely paid around 850 million euros for 50% of Smart's shares, in addition to the possibility of establishing production centers in China and turning the brand into an electric vehicle manufacturer, taking advantage of Geely's platform and mechanics.Since then, Smart has begun to market fully electric models such as the Smart #1 and Smart #3, and plug-in hybrids or PHEVs Smart #5 and Smart #6, which are launching on the market this year. An urban revolution

Smart has presented the prototype of the new Smart #2, a model that – this time yes – must be decisive in the brand's future and must serve to increase electric car sales also in Europe. In fact, you don't need to be a genius to see that the new #2 is the spiritual heir of the Fortwo, a small city car that sold more than two million units worldwide between 2007 and 2019, just before the purchase of half of the brand by the Chinese automotive giant Geely.

It is worth mentioning that in China, the role of a small two-seater urban vehicle is not fully understood, and in this regard, the natural market for the future Smart #2 will be Europe. Despite being a small car, the new #2 optimizes space inside the cabin thanks to a single-piece front seat row (there will be no classic individual seats) and a minimalist, ergonomic, and rational interior, according to the brand. Furthermore, the new urban two-seater maintains its own distinctive aesthetic characteristic of the brand's models, with a recognizable optical signature, a solid and aerodynamic body, and a lower grille that adds presence and personality to the overall design.

Mechanically speaking, it is worth noting that the new Smart #2 will use a new modular platform called ECA (Electric Compact Architecture) developed by the Geely group with the advice of Mercedes-Benz engineers, which promises to be solid, proportionate, and balanced, allowing the future #2 to present notable agility and maneuverability, the main historical assets of a brand with an eminently urban focus. In fact, the brand assures that this new model will have a turning radius of 6.95 meters, making it one of the most agile and maneuverable on the market.

The new ECA platform, which integrates the batteries into the vehicle's chassis, is designed to offer maximum space for electronic components. Smart assures that the new #2 will use batteries with a capacity of 37.5 kWh, which, combined with its limited weight, should allow for real-world ranges of almost 300 kilometers, a more than adequate figure for a vehicle designed to move around the city. Finally, Smart promises that this model will be compatible with a fast-charging system that will allow the car's batteries to be charged up to 80% in just 20 minutes.Smart will present the definitive production model, as well as the price, during the official presentation that will take place in Paris in the autumn. However, we can already announce that the new Smart #2 will not be a cheap car, as the previous model (the Fortwo, from 2020) already had a base price of 25,000 euros, a figure that will become the benchmark for the entry-level models of the new #2.