Smart has come a long way. Those who have been around long enough would remember Smart as the adorable but barely practical city car born out of the vision of Swiss watchmaker Swatch and Mercedes-Benz. Now a JV between Mercedes-Benz and Chinese automaker Geely, it has fully transitioned into an EV brand, but it has not forgotten its roots.
The automaker has recently unveiled a new concept that pays homage to the original design: the Smart Concept #2. That’s right. Just when we thought Smart was going with the odd-number naming convention of #1, #3, and #5, it drops a two. And for obvious reasons, because it has the shadows of the Smart Fortwo. There is no doubt this is a carefully orchestrated marketing plan. I mean, the #4 spot is still open, which means the Forfour‘s return may happen. Though the automaker denied this last year.
Anyhoo, the Smart Concept #2 takes the OG’s sporty and cutesy, ultra-compact design and modernizes it, and for this concept, the brand shows what a proper next-generation micro-Smart could look like if it grew up without growing too much. The Concept #2 keeps the short-wheelbase, upright stance that made the Fortwo instantly recognizable, but wraps it in smoother surfaces, sharper lighting signatures, and wheels that look like they belong on something far more serious than a city runabout.
Despite the tiny footprint, the cabin is surprisingly airy. The concept uses a clean, lounge-like interior layout with a floating display and slim structural elements that make the space feel bigger than it should. It still reads unmistakably Smart, just interpreted for the touchscreen era.
In case anyone’s wondering… while it measures just 2,792 mm long, 1,876 mm wide, and 1,548 mm tall, it is actually larger than the EQ Fortwo, which is 2,695 mm long, 1,668 mm wide, and 1,555 mm tall.
Design-wise, the overhangs remain minimal, the proportions stay playful, and the stance suggests this thing was built to squeeze into parking spaces that most crossovers wouldn’t even attempt. At the same time, the lighting treatment and sculpted body panels hint that Smart is no longer interested in being dismissed as merely “cute,” or at least it tries not to be, but spoiler alert, it is still adorable.
Most importantly, Concept #2 is a signal. It is a nostalgia exercise, either. It is a reminder that there is still room in the EV world for something genuinely compact, genuinely urban, and genuinely Smart-sized again (read: brilliantly not practical). And if this one makes production, city streets might finally get interesting again. Maybe.
The arrival of this new electric pocket rocket is inevitable. The production model is set to make its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show in October 2026. Meanwhile, you are welcome to learn more here.
Images: Smart.
