Next month’s 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show will celebrate the world premiere of the new Smart ForTwo Cabrio that will go on sale worldwide early 2016.
Based on the latest generation ForTwo hatch that was co-developed with the Renault Group (sharing its hardware with the French firm’s Twingo), the new Cabrio sticks to the same solution as the outgoing model with a fold-back canvas roof retaining the hatchback’s B-pillars.
The third-generation ForTwo Cabrio’s ‘tritop’ can be peeled back as a large sliding canvas sunroof or if you want to go topless, it can be folded onto the tailgate at a touch of a button, though you’ll still need to manually remove the two roof rails and stow them in the boot.
Available in three colors – blue denim, red or black, the fabric soft top can be opened fully automatically in 12 seconds, even when driving at top speed, while the driver can also operate the roof outside the car by remote control.
Smart says the new model is “the most rigid smart cabrio ever” as torsional strength has been improved by around 15 percent over its predecessor.
Elsewhere, it’s the same car as its hardtop sibling offering two three-cylinder gasoline engines, a 1.0-liter unit producing 70hp (71PS) and a 0.9-liter turbo with 89hp (90PS), which can be hooked up to either a five-speed manual or a dual-clutch automatic transmission, and three equipment lines.
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