The all-new Smart ForTwo and ForFour minicars will share up to 70 percent of their components with the new Renault Twingo that was unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show. However, Smart claims that their models will bear no resemblance to the French city car. The ForTwo will retain its iconic shape, while the ForFour will be inspired by the Fourjoy concept car.
Smart boss Annette Winkler told Autonews Europe that the ForTwo and ForFour will be even shorter than the Twingo and will feature the brand’s traditional B-pillar. While the four-seat Twingo is 3,581mm (141 inches) long, the ForFour will have a length of 3,505mm (138 inches). The Smart ForTwo will retain its current length of 2,692mm (106 inches).
Daimler and Renault jointly developed the three cars, which use the same platform and Renault internal combustion engines. The Twingo is available with two powerplants, an all-new SCe 70 1.0-liter 3-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol unit with 69hp (70PS) and the TCe 90 0.9-liter 3-cylinder turbo petrol engine producing 89 hp (90 PS). Both engines will be used by the Smarts. Winkler added that Smart alone will offer a battery-electric version, but it won’t be available at launch.
Smart is expected to unveil the new ForTwo and ForFour this summer, before the Paris auto show in October, with European sales starting later this year.
The Daimler-owned company said only the ForTwo will be offered in the United States, starting from August 2015. The ForFour won’t be sold there as Smart decided sales won’t be high enough to warrant the cost of homologation.
By Dan Mihalascu
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