Daimler has revealed its next generation 2015 Smart brand models – the fortwo and forfour – developed under a new engineering architecture shared with Renault.
Daimler and the Renault-Nissan Alliance revealed in April 2010 that the next Smart fortwo was under development in parallel with a four-seater variant and the next Renault Twingo. All three will use a new architecture. The fortwo will be built in France at the Smart plant at Hambach, while Renault’s Slovenian Novo Mesto plant will be the location for the Twingo and its twin, the Smart forfour.
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“As Europe’s youngest car brand, Smart enjoys global success today. No-one combines functionality and emotionality as well as we do, as the inventors of individual urban mobility. The new smart fortwo and forfour adopt the proven concept while offering more of just about everything – more space, more colour, more equipment … and even more fun in the city! Only the vehicle length remains as unique as ever, at 2.69 metres,” says Smart boss Annette Winkler. “Our idea based on a total rethink of urban mobility has won through.”
“In the planning phase we were clear that we wanted to retain the rear engine for the new Smart, so as to continue to exploit the vehicles’ strengths to the full in the city,” said Jörg Prigl, head of the product group Compact Cars at Mercedes-Benz. “On this basis, we then developed the new fortwo and forfour together with our partner, Renault.”
“We are proud to have made the fortwo even safer and in sum more grown up whilst retaining its length of 2.69 metres,” adds Markus Riedel, head of development at smart. “In doing so we even reduced the turning circle to 6.95 metres and thus set a new benchmark. The fortwo shares its architecture with the new forfour; both cars are tailor-made for the requirements of modern city traffic.”
Two new three-cylinder engines will be available for the new Smart models at market launch.
