There Smart intends to launch a successor to the Fortwo on the market, albeit with somewhat different characteristics compared to the original: we discussed this with the CEO of Smart Europa, Dirk Adelmann, during a round table at the Beijing Motor Show. To our explicit question about how much space there is in the range for a new Fortwo, Adelmann was clear in reiterating how the company, which for some years has been an equal joint venture between Geely and Mercedes, is “in the midst of a feasibility study for a potential two-seater platform. There is no such basis for electric vehicles in the industry,” Adelmann pointed out, not even within the two shareholder groups. “So, we will have to develop it already in our early stages of the feasibility study.”
Partners and markets. In doing so, Smart will have to pay attention to the issue of costs. This is why, at the moment, the involvement of an external partner is not excluded. “The questions to ask are: is there a feasible platform that can be used to make such compact cars?” asks Adelmann. “What do we need to do? What partners do we need? We’re at a very early stage, but it’s a long way to go.” The new Fortwo, in fact, will be aimed above all at a specific market: “We want it above all for Europe, in particular for Rome, for Paris, for all those cities where we have had great success in the last 25 years. So yes, it we want to, but it’s too early to say what the likelihood of making it happen. We haven’t made a final decision yet.” The top manager recalled how the related project was called “Due” and how, at the moment, it is not only focusing on the platforms to be developed, but also on the possible market positioning in light of increasingly intense competition.
Two seats, but more premium. We are always talking about a two-seater vehicle: it will not be as essential as theforerunner, but rather more technological and suitable for the current status of the Smart. A brand much more focused on premium than in the past. It is also probable that, in the end, the car may no longer be called Fortwo but #2, to follow the current nomenclature of the company. However, on this specific point, Adelmann did not want to go too far: “I don’t want to commit to one number or another”. Obviously, the heir to the Fortwo will be electric (“we are 100% committed to BEVs”, Adelmann pointed out), although the manager did not exclude the possibility that one day the brand could use plug-in hybrid technologies thanks to Geely. In any case, the expansion strategies of the range are confirmed, composed today of #1 and #3 and soon by another model anticipated by the concept #5: the prototype represents 95% of the future series model, which should land in China in the second part of the year and then arrive in Europe in the first half of 2025.
