Smart returns to its roots with the grown-up Concept #2

The world of electric cars is full of large SUVs and heavy crossovers. However, the brand that once owned the "tiny car" crown is finally coming back to the city. Smart showed off its newest creation, the Concept #2. This little EV is a peek at the future of the famous two-seater city car - it still looks like a Smart, but it has changed quite a bit. It grew taller and longer, and we can point the finger at Mercedes-Benz for the growth spurt.

Smart used to be famous for making cars so small you could park them sideways. After the old Fortwo stopped production in 2024, many wondered if the brand would only make big SUVs now. The Concept #2 proves that Smart still cares about tight city streets. The new model was designed by the team at Mercedes-Benz, but it uses technology from Geely - it is a mix of German style and Chinese hardware.

When you look at the Concept #2, you see a familiar shape. It has two doors, almost no hood, and wheels pushed all the way to the corners. But if it looks a little bigger than you remember, that's because it is. The car measures 109.9 inches long, making it almost 30 cm longer than the very first Smart car. It is also 3.82 inches longer than the last electric Smart EQ ForTwo we saw.

Mercedes is "to blame" for this extra length because they wanted a car that felt more modern and comfortable, but even with the extra size, this EV is still a shrimp compared to other electric cars. It is 33.1 inches shorter than a Fiat 500e, and nearly a meter shorter than the Renault Twingo E-Tech. In the world of cars, it sits in a strange middle ground. It is bigger than tiny "quadricycles" like the Citroen Ami, but smaller than almost every other car on the road.

The design features some very curious details that might not make it to the final version. It has LED headlights that look aggressive and daytime running lights that actually spell out "#2." Smart made the grille look like a piece of luxury luggage, and instead of normal metal door handles, the concept uses leather straps. The roof has a shiny gold finish that makes it stand out in a crowd.

Underneath the pretty body is a new platform called the Electric Compact Architecture (ECA). Smart has not shared every single detail yet, but they did give us some big numbers. They want the Smart #2 to have a range of 249 miles (CLTC). For a tiny city car, that is a huge deal since the old model could only travel about 84 miles before needing a top-up.

Charging is also much better than before. You can charge the battery from 10% to 80% in less than 20 minutes. The car also features "Vehicle-to-Load" technology - you can use the car's battery to power other things, like a laptop or a small grill. Like the older Smart cars, the motor will likely stay in the back and power the rear wheels. This helps the car turn in very tight circles, which is perfect for busy cities.

We do not have photos of the inside yet, but Smart says it will be "premium." With only two seats, the designers had more room to make the cabin feel spacious. Since Mercedes handled the design, we expect the materials to feel high-quality. The production version of the new Smart will officially debut at the Paris Motor Show in October, and it will likely go on sale in Europe and the UK first.

Source