The Smart brand dropped its original two-seat city car last year, leaving it only with three electric SUVs.
The upcoming #2 will be an electric city car that should look similar to the ForTwo.
This model will be designed by Mercedes-Benz and built in China by Geely.
While Smart cars haven’t been available in North America since the end of the 2019 model year, the brand is still present in major markets such as Europe and China.
In fact, the company is now partly Chinese-owned, as Geely acquired half of Smart’s stakes from Mercedes-Benz back in 2019.
The electric version of the ForTwo city car remained on sale globally until last year, but it wasn’t alone in the brand’s showrooms, as the first product of the Geely partnership, a subcompact electric SUV named simply #1, launched in 2022.
Shortly afterward, the #3, a coupe-like version of the #1 was introduced, and a slightly larger and more robust-looking SUV called #5 joined the lineup about a year ago.
Smart #2 teaser | Photo: SmartThis obviously leaves numbers 2 and 4 for future models, and we now know what the Smart #2 will be.
Indeed, the company posted a teaser image this week that shows its current lineup parked along a street, with an empty space that is noticeably smaller than the rest sitting between the #1 and #3.
To make sure there is no confusion about this message, the parking space is marked “Reserved for #2”.
Two other images show the upcoming car’s shadow on a brick wall, and with all three generations of the ForTwo. In this last picture, we can see that the new car shares a striking resemblance to its direct predecessor, except that the rear window and C-pillar appear to be less vertical than before.
Smart #2 teaser | Photo: SmartDue to its very small size, the #2 won’t share its platform with other Smart models, instead making use of a new architecture developed by the brand’s own Research & Development team.
Technical details have yet to be revealed, but Smart says its new two-seat city car will feature “new technology solutions for its segment”.
Like all current Smart models, the #2 has been designed by Mercedes-Benz and engineered by Geely, who will also manufacture it in China.
Sales are expected to begin in China, Europe, and other selected markets late in 2026.
North America wasn’t mentioned specifically, and we shouldn’t get our hopes up too much, as Chinese EVs are currently subjected to 100% tariffs in both Canada and the United States, making it essentially impossible to import them.
Even if these tariffs are dropped in the coming months or years, there might not be a large enough market for an ultra-compact two-seat EV in North America to make it worthwhile for Smart to have the #2 certified and imported.
Slow sales were a factor in the decision to abandon Canada and the United States with the previous generation ForTwo.
More details about the upcoming Smart #2 should become available over the next 12 months, ahead of the model’s official debut.
