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April 17, 2025 – Smart has taken a creative approach to preview its upcoming #2 city car, commissioning a series of large-scale murals in major cities around the world. The artwork, which started appearing in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, and Melbourne, offers the clearest look yet at the vehicle’s design. Additional murals are planned for Berlin and Paris ahead of the car’s global debut at the Paris Motor Show in October 2025.
The #2 is the long-awaited spiritual successor to the iconic Fortwo, the two-seat microcar that defined urban mobility in the 2000s. After a pivot toward larger SUVs in recent years, Smart is returning to its compact roots with a model that prioritizes agility and efficiency in dense city environments.
The murals confirm that the #2 stays true to the Fortwo’s hallmark silhouette: a short bonnet, upright front end with oversized, expressive headlights, and wheels pushed to the extreme corners of the body to maximize interior space. The rear is nearly vertical, echoing the original’s space-efficient design and creating a genuinely roomy two-seater cabin.
“The Smart #2 is the evolution of a revolution,” said Kang Yi, Global CMO of Smart. “We designed this vehicle to bring playfulness, premium sophistication, and effortless agility back to the modern urban jungle.”
The #2 is built on a bespoke Electric Compact Architecture developed by Geely, the Chinese automotive giant that co-owns Smart alongside Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz, which designed the original Fortwo, also handled the design of the #2. The powertrain details remain under wraps until the official reveal, but Smart has confirmed a range of 186 miles (300 km) on a single charge and the ability to replenish from 20% to 80% in 20 minutes. The vehicle will also support vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging, allowing owners to power small appliances or devices directly from the car’s battery.
With a predicted length of under 2.8 meters, the Smart #2 will be the smallest electric car on sale when it arrives in showrooms in 2026. The only smaller EVs are quadricycles like the Citroën Ami and Fiat Topolino, which are classified differently in many markets. In the A-segment, the #2 will compete with the Renault Twingo, Citroën 2CV (electric version), and Kia EV1. Pricing has not been announced, but Smart says the #2 will set new premium standards for the segment, potentially placing it closer in price to larger models like the Renault 5 and Citroën E-C3.
The Smart #2 is unlikely to be sold in the United States, as Smart has not offered vehicles there since 2019. However, the model’s global debut underscores a broader trend: the growing demand for ultra-compact EVs in crowded urban centers, particularly in Asia and Europe. US cities, where parking and congestion are equally pressing, could benefit from such a vehicle, but regulatory hurdles and consumer preference for larger cars have kept microcars out of the mainstream. The #2’s premium positioning and Mercedes-Benz design pedigree may set a benchmark that influences future compact EV designs worldwide.
Full technical specifications, including battery capacity, motor output, and final pricing, will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October. The Smart #2 is expected to enter production at Geely’s plant in China, with first deliveries to European and Asian markets starting in early 2026. Whether the brand ever returns to the US remains an open question, but the #2’s global graffiti campaign has already succeeded in generating buzz and reaffirming Smart’s commitment to small, electric city cars.
