Tip #2: The registration application reveals the final exterior design
During the registration process in China, official images of the new Smart #2 without camouflage have been made available for the first time. Designed as a successor to the iconic Smart ForTwo, this two-seater electric city car is built on a new electric architecture and is set to make its world debut at the Paris Auto Show in October.
The much-anticipated electric microvehicle from joint venture partners Geely and Mercedes-Benz has now been officially added to the registration catalog of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). This means not only are there the first official photos of the Smart #2 without camouflage, but also the registration-related data. However, most of this information was already known from an event in Rome in June. There, only a concept vehicle that had been shown at the Beijing auto show was displayed — not yet the final production design.
Let’s take a look at the details from the MIIT application: The data now released confirm that the Smart #2 has a length of 2.75 meters or 2.76 meters depending on the configuration, with a width of 1.67 meters and a height of 1.56 meters. The wheelbase is 1.88 meters. The vehicle has a curb weight of 1,130 kilograms. The two-seater model is powered by an InfiMotion electric motor with a power output of 60 kW. This figure is new compared to the information from Rome, where Smart refused to disclose the system’s power output and only mentioned “maximum dynamics in the smallest format” regarding the electric drive.
Top speed of 140 km/h
A lithium-iron-phosphate battery (LFP) serves as the energy storage system, with its cells supplied by CATL and assembled by Geely. Smart stated in Rome that its capacity is 35.7 kWh, but a specific figure is missing from the MIIT application. Previously unknown was the top speed, which according to Chinese registration documents is 140 km/h.
The Smart #2 is intended to carry forward the DNA of the original Fortwo while elevating it technologically to a new level. As early as June, Wolfgang Ufer, Smart’s Europe head, emphasized his expectations in our podcast “eMobility Insights”: “A legend is returning — and it will be the best two-seater ever made.”
For the European market, Ufer has also outlined an ambitious pricing strategy. When asked where the starting price, within the range of 20,000 to 25,000 euros, would fall, the Smart manager recently replied in an interview: “It will be below the midpoint.” However, Smart plans to announce the final launch price in Europe only at the world premiere at the Paris Auto Show in October.
The model will initially be produced in China, from where it is set to be exported to Europe and other overseas regions. If sales volume reaches a sufficient level, the management does not rule out production in Europe outright. Yet the company has not yet provided a specific timeline or location for such a plan.
Revised Smart #1 debuts in China
Meanwhile, the revised Smart #1 featuring 800-volt technology, introduced a few days ago, is now available in China. The list prices start at 152,900 yuan (approximately 19,600 euros). The model is said to have over 200 improvements over the previous version and is positioned by the manufacturer as an “agile luxury SUV with AI technology.” It is likely to take until next year before the revised Smart #1 becomes available in Europe as well.