The new Smart #2 concept electric city car has been revealed at Beijing motor show 2026, and it's keeping the spirit of the '90s original alive. The final production version will be unveiled later in 2026, and will be the successor to the iconic Fortwo model that first went on sale way back in 1998. (And make sure you call it the Hashtag Two, because Number Two has a different meaning depending on where you are…)
We already saw a brief glimpse of the car months ago, with a test hack being put through its paces at a track in China. Smart used the body of the old Fortwo with all the new stuff underneath to check out the new batteries, motors and other drivetrain components to see if they would work. But the positive news is that the new car is suitably tiny, and it appears as if the testing has worked because the #2 is still on course.
Will the new Smart #2 still be a two-seater?
Yes, thank goodness. Were you worried they were going to turn it into a seven-seater SUV as well? The Smart #5 is the biggest car the company currently sells, and that's a beefy five-seater SUV. Smart still has a few numbers in its lineup to fill, but thankfully it’s saved the #2 for the little car that started it all.
The new #2 looks set to stay true to its Fortwo heritage – Smart has even said the new city car will be as bold as the original, saying the car will “present a new vision while preserving the DNA of the Fortwo”, that it’s a “complete reinvention” and will offer a city driving experience “that is unlike anything else”. Powerful words. The concept car that we've seen shows that the car will hold true to the past, but we're hoping the inside of the car has a bit of excitement planned, because it looks like business as usual on the outside.
Have we learned anything interesting from the concept car?
We've not seen the interior, yet, but Smart says that it has tried to push the wheels as far out in every direction as possible to maximise the interior space, so that's promising. Other interesting things include a 186-mile (300km) range that sounds like it could be a realistic figure for the final car, along with 10–80% charging in 20 minutes and V2L capability.
Smart also says that the Concept #2 has a turning circle of just 6.95 metres, which is less than the 7.6m that London taxis have to manage, but more than the grin-inducing 3.9m of the old Toyota iQ back in the day. The leather straps and gold finishing on the concept car probably won't make it through to production, though.
When does the new Smart #2 go on sale?
The latest version of the car that we've seen at the Beijing motor show is just the concept version of the car, but Smart has said that it will be revealing the final production version of the car at the Paris motor show in September. A Paris reveal hints at an early 2027 on sale date with deliveries in the spring.
Will the Smart #2 be petrol or electric?
The new #2 will be electric only, rather than trying to balance petrol and diesel versions like previous generations. If the concept's statistics are representative of the production car, we can expect a 186 mile WLTP range. The third generation car that was sold until 2024 eventually dropped its combustion options and went with Mercedes-style EQ branding to show off its electric drive.
Smart is hoping that the new car will be slightly more popular than that last Fortwo – a miserable real world range of around 70 miles and a high list price rather hampered the appeal of that car.
Smart, which is jointly owned by Chinese carmaker Geely and German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz, has come up with a new platform for the #2, called the Electric Compact Architecture. It didn’t have anything within its current roster that could be chopped down as small as required, you see.
What battery does the Smart #2 get?
Smart hasn’t really given us any useful information about what will be under the skin of the new #2, but we can do a bit of conjecture. The entry level Fiat 500 has a 24kWh that’s probably at the low end of acceptability in terms of range, while Volkswagen’s ID.Every1 (the e-Up replacement) has around 38kWh.
Rumours suggest that the new #2 will split the difference for a battery pack just over 30kWh that’s aiming for an impressive range figure of around 200 miles.
How popular were the #2’s predecessors?
When production of the third generation car was stopped in 2024, it is estimated that almost 2.5 million Fortwos were sold in the 26 years that the car was on sale.
The 1998 original was a cultural force, however, becoming an instant iconic with its wacky looks and go anywhere urban practicality.
It was developed as a project between Swiss watchmaker Swatch and Volkswagen, but Mercedes took the project on after VW passed on it. The original creative team also left the project, with Mercedes taking it on to production.
These all fit in one normal sized parking spot... jokes, but Smart is keen to show the new #2 is part of the family 
.jpg?width=600&height=600)
