- Smart has confirmed its all-electric #2 will make its world debut in Paris this October.
- The two-seat city car is now in global pre-production testing, including wet-grip and durability work.
- New Zealand timing, pricing and specification for the production Smart #2 remain unconfirmed.
Smart has put a firmer marker on the return of its smallest car. The all-electric Smart #2 will make its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show in October, while the production-bound two-seater continues global testing in camouflage.
That matters because the #2 is no longer just a concept or a revival promise. Smart says the car is undergoing physical validation ahead of its debut, with the latest images showing a compact prototype wearing black-and-white camouflage with lime accents. The marque has not announced New Zealand availability, pricing, battery capacity, range or power outputs.
Built around the city, tested beyond it
Smart describes the #2 as an all-electric two-seat city car built around the traditional wheels-at-the-corners stance associated with the fortwo. It says that layout is intended to preserve the manoeuvrability that made the original a natural fit for tight urban streets.
The testing programme is broader than a few publicity laps. Smart says prototypes have been assessed for unexpected obstacles, emergency lane changes and low-grip wet-road conditions. Engineers are also refining chassis hard points, steering ratio, rack travel and suspension movement control.
There is a practical edge to that work. A very short car can be a city asset, but it also needs to feel stable and predictable when it leaves the CBD or hits a poor surface. Smart says it has tested tyre compounds on rough asphalt, grooved concrete and high-speed straights, while durability work covers bumpy roads, continuous undulations, potholes and kerb impacts.
More work before Paris
The company is also using wind-tunnel, acoustic-chamber, proving-ground and public-road work to tune noise, vibration and harshness. Its stated aim is a more serene cabin than the size of the car might suggest.
Smart says the next generation of its tridion safety cell will pair compact exterior dimensions with a structure designed to meet modern safety requirements. Those are company claims ahead of independent crash testing, so the October reveal should be where the #2's production specification becomes clearer.
The reborn two-seater reaches Paris in October. Smart has not yet disclosed production battery, range or power figures, pricing, or New Zealand plans.
