Smart #2: New images from China show the model without camouflage
Image: Smart (illustrative)
Smart is reviving the ForTwo two-seater, which has not been available for several years, as an electric vehicle. The upcoming model, named #2, is close to being launched on the market. Recently, more details about this compact electric car from the Mercedes-Benz and Geely joint venture were listed in a new vehicle catalog in China.
The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released the latest list of models whose sales approval is pending. In China, such registration with the MIIT is a requirement for selling new vehicles. The documents classify the #2 as a pure electric, two-seater vehicle. It is produced by Zhejiang Haoqing Automobile Manufacturing, a company under China’s Geely group.
It was already known that the #2 is based on a new electric architecture developed specifically for ultra-compact vehicles. Regarding dimensions, the model, according to the now available data and images from China, has a body length of about 2.75 meters, with a width of just under 1.67 meters, a height of 1.56 meters, and a wheelbase of 1.89 meters. For comparison, the electric version of its predecessor, the ForTwo, had a length of 2.70 meters, a height of 1.56 meters, and a width of 1.66 meters.
60-kW engine, approximately 300 kilometers of range
According to data from China, the vehicle is powered by a 60-kW motor (82 horsepower). A lithium-iron-phosphate battery (LFP) serves as the energy storage unit, with its cells supplied by China’s leading battery manufacturer CATL. The #2 model has a curb weight of 1130 kilograms and reaches a top speed of 140 km/h. Preliminary official figures indicate an range of around 300 kilometers thanks to a 35.7-kWh battery. A fast charging process from 10% to 80% is expected to take approximately 20 minutes.
As shown in images from China, the design retains the characteristic layout with wheels at each corner. The manufacturer itself recently provided a more detailed glimpse of the final design through airbrush drawings (article image) on city walls. The photos from China now show the final production vehicle.
The #2 represents, more than any other vehicle, what makes Smart unique: “intelligent mobility for the city with an unmistakable identity,” said Florian Nemit, head of Germany. With its specially developed ECA platform as the technological core, it lays the foundation for a fully electric two-seater “that combines iconic design and compact dimensions with agility, comfort, and top-tier safety.”
While the ForTwo was developed jointly with Renault and produced in the French town of Hambach, its successor #2 is being manufactured in China. Production and development there have been based since Mercedes-Benz sold half of Smart’s shares to Geely. The #2 will therefore be exported to Europe, just like the company’s previous, much larger electric vehicles. Order-taking is expected to begin this year, with deliveries of the first #2 slated for the second quarter of 2027.
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About the author
Thomas Langenbucher is an expert in electromobility with experience in the automotive and financial industries. Since 2011, he has been covering electric vehicles, sustainable technologies, and mobility solutions for ecomento.de. Learn more.
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