smart #2

smart Concept #2 makes world debut in Beijing – tiny EV designed by Mercedes-Benz, engineered by Geely

In Cars, Concept Cars, International News, smart / By Jonathan James Tan / 25 April 2026 5:48 pm / 0 comment

The smart Concept #2 has made its world debut at the ongoing Auto China 2026 in Beijing – yup, the city car specialist is going back to its roots after doing quite a few big cars lately. You’ll see the production smart #2 at October’s Paris Motor Show.

Designed by Mercedes-Benz and engineered by Geely, the 2,792 mm-long, two-seat concept is underpinned by an all-new Electric Compact Architecture (ECA), and has a turning circle of just 6.95 metres.

Those of you looking forward to the return of smart’s distinctive tridion safety cell will be disappointed; the Concept #2 instead adopts the design language set by the #1, with triangular headlights, a floating roof and rounded tail lamps.

It’s a surprisingly aggressive design that takes after the last fortwo, and what will surely be a gaping grille on the production model is instead covered by a monogram of the smart logo framed by twin straps – clearly inspired by one of Louis Vuitton’s iconic bags.

A sporty bodykit and massive wheels (seemingly also held together by straps) pushed to the far corners of the car add to the car’s racy look.

This is bedazzled by show car details such as the striking matte white (including the tyres!) and gold colour scheme, the dot matrix displays front and rear and leather door pulls inspired by laundry care labels – replete with the ‘styled by Mercedes-Benz’ script.

Preliminary estimated specs include a range of nearly 300 km (WLTP estimates) as well as DC fast charging from 10 to 80% in under 20 minutes. A vehicle-to-load (V2L) function will also be offered.

In Malaysia, the smart brand is represented by Proton subsidiary Pro-Net, as both entities are part-owned by Geely. Given that Proton has long been exploring CKD local assembly of smart models (likely hinging on its new EV plant in Tanjong Malim), could we see the #2 being offered here as a more premium two-seat alternative to the eMas 5?

smart Concept #2 at Auto China 2026 in Beijing

smart Concept #2 official images

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smart Concept #2 previews 2-seat EV – under 300 km range, Oct debut, coming to Malaysia under Proton?

In Cars, International News, smart / By Jonathan Lee / 22 April 2026 5:34 pm / 2 comments

Having chased profitability by building ever-larger SUVs and even a sedan, city car specialist smart has returned to its roots with the Concept #2, unveiled in Beijing ahead of the Auto China show later this week. An obvious throwback to the seminal fortwo, the show car presages a production two-seater EV that will be revealed in full at the Paris Motor Show in October.

The Concept #2 continues to be designed by Mercedes-Benz (by a seemingly more focused and cohesive team than Stuttgart’s own in-house one), with the engineering done by Geely as part of their 50:50 joint venture. It’s underpinned by an all-new Electric Compact Architecture (ECA), with a length of just 2,792 mm – you can fit the whole thing comfortably within the #5‘s wheelbase – and a turning circle of just 6.95 metres.

Those of you looking forward to the return of smart’s distinctive tridion safety cell will be disappointed; the Concept #2 instead adopts the design language set by the #1, with triangular headlights, a floating roof and rounded taillights. It’s a surprisingly aggressive design that takes after the last fortwo, and what will surely be a gaping grille on the production model is instead covered by a monogram of the smart logo framed by twin straps – clearly inspired by one of Louis Vuitton’s iconic bags.

A sporty bodykit and massive wheels (seemingly also held together by straps) pushed to the far corners of the car add to the car’s racy look. This is bedazzled by show car details such as the striking matte white (including, yes, the tyres) and gold colour scheme, the dot matrix displays front and rear and leather door pulls inspired by laundry care labels – replete with the “styled by Mercedes-Benz” script.

Preliminary estimated specs include a range of nearly 300 km (we presume this is on the WLTP cycle) as well as DC fast charging from 10 to 80% in under 20 minutes. A vehicle-to-load (V2L) function will also be offered.

In Malaysia, the smart brand is represented by Proton subsidiary Pro-Net, as both entities are part-owned by Geely. Given that Proton has long been exploring CKD local assembly of smart models (likely hinging on its new EV plant in Tanjong Malim), could we see the #2 being offered here as a more premium two-seat alternative to the eMas 5?

GALLERY: smart Concept #2 at Auto China 2026

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smart Concept #2 teased again ahead of Beijing debut

In Cars, International News, smart / By Gerard Lye / 21 April 2026 10:34 am / 1 comment

Ahead of this year’s Auto Beijing (also referred to as Auto China) that is set to open its doors later this week, smart has released official design sketches as well as detail pictures of its Concept #2. The show car will preview an upcoming two-seat city car called the #2 that will celebrate its premiere in late 2026.

Penned by the Mercedes-Benz global design team, the Concept #2 clearly pays homage to the discontinued fortwo, which is smart’s last proper small city car – everything that came after the Mercedes-Benz-Geely venture has larger offerings from the #1 to the #5.

The design sketches reveal a bulbous car with a wide stance thanks to its generously flared arches and large wheels. There’s also a massive front “grille” section flanked by what are presumably air curtains, while the headlamps have an aggressive look to them.

Along the sides, we find a lip spoiler at the tail end of the roof that leads into slightly protruding taillights, while the beltline appears to rise up as it nears the rearmost pillar to likely create a “floating roof” look. The brand says it followed its ‘Love, Pure, Unexpected’ design philosophy to style the Concept #2, which will debut with a matte white and warm gold two-tone palette. Other things mentioned include details such as buckles and fine leather applications.

Joining the Concept #2 on stage will be the world premiere of the #6 EHD, a car that is also designed by the Mercedes-Benz global design team and has already been revealed by Chinese regulators. Measuring 4,906 mm long, 1,922 mm wide and 1,508 mm tall, it’s nearly as big as the current E-Class and will be the brand’s first-ever fastback sedan.

Featuring a plug-in hybrid powertrain, the sleek-bodied #6 EHD boasts a full-width light bar on both ends, roof-mounted LiDAR sensor and flush pop-out door handles. Inside, we find pill-shaped design elements similar to the #5 as well as a bevy of screens, including one for the front passenger.

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smart #2 concept reveal in Beijing in April – production two-seat city EV on track for late-2026 world premiere

In Cars, International News, smart / By Jonathan Lee / 26 January 2026 2:36 pm / 2 comments

In September, smart revealed that it would be going back to its roots with a two-seater city car called the #2, the spiritual successor to its seminal fortwo. Now, the company has confirmed that the concept version will make its debut at Auto China in Beijing in April, ahead of the production model’s slated world premiere at the end of the year.

smart hasn’t made a city car – its raison d’être, let’s not forget – since 2024, once the new joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely got off the ground with the #1. The company has only built bigger and bigger SUVs since then, and it’s even on the verge of producing its first sedan with its #6 later this year. But a compact two-seat runabout is still at the heart of the company, and it made clear it wasn’t about to let such a car fall by the wayside even as it chased profits.

“We will do our best to ensure everyone can drive this long-awaited smart #2, also known as ‘fortwo,’ as soon as possible in this Year of the Horse, allowing this classic to gallop back into the smart family,” said CEO Tong Xiangbei at the smart times Inspiration Awards in Xiamen on Saturday.

The #2 will be built on a new Electric Compact Architecture (ECA), suggesting that there will be multiple variants to help amortise development costs. This could include a four-seater in the vein of the forfour (called the #4, perhaps?) to compete in China’s lucrative city EV sector, against the likes of the Wuling Bingo and BYD Seagull. The car will continue to be designed by Mercedes-Benz and use Geely technologies.

smart has already begun testing the all-new proprietary architecture and technological platform, using the body of the old fortwo. The production #2 will continue to be rear-wheel drive and retain its forebear’s signature four-square stance but feature a next-generation electric drivetrain and “advanced safety.”

Details have not been made known, but Autohome reports that the #2 will be offered in coupé form first, with a cabriolet version (previously more of a targa with a retractable fabric roof) expected to be offered later on. Its battery will also apparently have a capacity of around 30 kWh, which is similar to the Proton eMas 5 Prime‘s LFP pack that has a WLTP-rated range of 225 km.

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smart #2 confirmed – brand’s all-new electric city car to debut in late 2026; designed by Mercedes-Benz

In Cars, International News, smart / By Gerard Lye / 2 September 2025 5:05 pm / 5 comments

After introducing a trio of electric cars with ever-increasing sizes, smart Automobile (a joint venture between Geely Auto Group and Mercedes-Benz AG) is going back to the brand’s roots by announcing a new electric city car that will celebrate its premiere in late 2026.

Called the #2, the all-new model will be a two-seater like the retired fortwo that was in production from 1998 until 2024. The fortwo was the cornerstone of smart’s line-up back then and lived for three generations, with cabriolet, Crossblade (no roof, doors or windshield) and various limited-edition versions made available. Fully electric variants were also introduced.

In an official release, the company said the #2 was greenlit following the successful feasibility check of the internal ‘project:two’. It added that the model will be styled by Mercedes-Benz and be built on an all-new proprietary architecture developed by smart’s in-house R&D team. At this stage, the #2 is in its final design and development phase, with production set to take place in China. The electric city car will be launched in China, Europe and other global markets.

Teasers of the #2 show a vehicle with a small footprint and a design that appears to be less curvy than its fortwo predecessors. The silhouette also suggests a small roof spoiler and Kammback body style. It goes without saying the #2 will sit below the #1 in the smart line-up. Its confirmation also opens up the possibility of a #4, which would be a reference to the forfour, although the #1 is deemed as the indirect successor to that model.

“I’m thrilled to confirm a new two-seater smart – the smart #2. Developing an ultra-compact vehicle on an entirely new all-electric architecture is far more complex than creating a larger car. But now, we’re ready. Thanks to the unwavering support of our shareholders, we’ve strengthened our production and development capabilities and successfully renewed our brand and product lineup. It’s the perfect moment to reinvent our iconic city car,” said Tong Xiangbei, global CEO of smart.

“27 years ago, the first smart fortwo took the world by storm – becoming an icon for both the brand and the industry. Loved by over two million customers worldwide, our original city car stood as a solution for urban mobility and a symbol of urban culture. With our new smart #2, we are responding to the market’s enthusiasm with an all-electric two-seater that blends smart’s cutting-edge technology and latest design philosophy into our iconic concept. The smart two-seater is reborn,” commented Mandy Zhang, global CMO of smart.

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