More details on the next smart ForTwo

The next generation of the Fortwo, which will go on sale in the second half of 2014, will be critical for smart. The two-seat city car has caused considerable financial losses for Daimler since its launch, and the next model must try to stop being a burden for the German group. Its kinship with the upcoming Renault Twingo, which we have known about since summer 2012, and the relaunch of the Forfour will help reduce production costs, but smart has other aces up its sleeve.

The new Fortwo will debut a rear-wheel-drive and rear-engine platform that is more rigid and safer than the previous one, which smart and Renault worked on together. Other models of different wheelbases and widths will be built on this platform, allowing the former to make it more profitable. The design seen in the first test mules of the new Fortwo revealed that the bonnet will be more prominent and the windscreen will be more steeply raked so the car meets the latest pedestrian safety regulations.

The third generation of this small vehicle will not change in length or height, but it will be wider. That dimension will grow by exactly 100 millimetres, bringing it to 1,660 mm. The increase will not only mean more interior space but will above all benefit the driving experience. Being wider, the new Fortwo will be more stable at road speeds and will take corners with greater precision even when driven quickly. But smart has not forgotten the Fortwo’s natural environment, the city. The brand’s director, Annette Winkler, confirmed in statements to Autocar that the turning circle has been reduced to 7.5 metres, 1.3 metres less than in the current generation.

The engine on which almost all versions of the Fortwo will be based will be a 1.0 three-cylinder petrol, into which Daimler will apply what it learns from the EcoBoost of Ford. There will be no more Diesel options in the range, but the electric version will return. The available gearboxes will be a six-speed manual and the new seven-speed automatic option that Daimler presented at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show.

Source | Autocar