New Smart ForTwo and ForFour set for 2014 unveil

Mercedes-Benz's struggling Smart city car division is seeking to add a new dimension to the urban driving experience with its third-generation ForTwo, currently undergoing the final phase of a three-year test and development program ahead of a planned unveiling mid next year.

Set for North American launch in 2015, the ultra-compact two-seat hatchback represents a fresh chapter in operations for Smart, which has recently gained greater independence from parent company Mercedes-Benz as its boss, Annette Winkler, attempts to stem years of financial losses after almost a decade of rebuilding following its short-lived joint venture with Mitsubishi.

The new ForTwo, known internally as project C453, has been developed in a joint engineering program with the upcoming second-generation ForFour and its sister car, the third-generation Renault Twingo.

All three are based around a newly developed rear-engined/rear-wheel-drive platform structure with engineering led by Smart with input from Renault, which is relying upon it to provide next year's third-generation Twingo with a new lease on life.

Conceived to support differing wheelbases and track widths, the new structure boasts more high-strength steel than is used in the 15-year-old, second-generation ForTwo. That adds rigidity and improves crash worthiness and safety.

While Smart has joined forces with Renault to create greater economies of scale and share development costs, Winkler is adamant that the intrinsic character and urban driving focus of the ForTwo remains intact. "It is a city car, and in this respect it is quite unique. We have successfully built on the strengths of the old model," she said. "The new ForTwo is more mature in many respects but it still fun to drive."

In a move driven by the latest pedestrian injury criteria applied to the European NCAP test procedure, the new ForTwo forgoes the one-box silhouette of its predecessor for a two-box profile, with a more defined hood and more upright windscreen.

Familiar features such as the ultra short overhangs, exposed Tridion steel safety cell, two-piece tailgate, composite body panels and two-tone paint scheme are set to remain an integral part of the new city car's styling. New details such as the LED imbued head- and tail lamps, a honeycomb grille insert and engine bay cooling ducts have been carried over from recent concept cars to give it a completely new look that will be shared with the new ForFour to provide the new Smart lineup with a distinctive family appearance.

The ForTwo coupe, as the two door city car is officially named, will be unveiled in June 2014 prior to making its first public appearance alongside the ForfFour at the Paris auto show in September 2014. A successor to the ForTwo cabriolet is then due to make an appearance at the Geneva motor show in 2015.

The new ForTwo retains the same length as today's second-generation model at 106.1 inches. "After consultation with existing customers, we came to the conclusion that compactness is still central to the appeal of the car for the majority of customers. It is the key factor that sees the ForTwo stand out from the crowd," said Winkler.

Height also remains close to the 60.6 inches of today's car. However, Smart has provided the latest iteration of its city car with almost 4.0 inches of added body width, extending it to around 65.4 inches.

By comparison, the ForTwo's city car rival, the Scion iQ, measures 117.1 inches in length, 59.1 inches in height and 66.1 inches in width.

As well as providing the ForTwo with a more confident appearance, the added width within the body has provided scope for significant changes to the chassis, which adopts tracks that are up almost 4.0 inches at the front to 54.7 inches and a similar amount at the rear at 58.3 inches. A heavily reworked suspension continues to use a combination of wishbones up front and a torsion beam at the rear but with altered geometry and what has been described to Autoweek as a "new thinking in terms of elastokinematic properties."

Insiders suggest the handling has been transformed, both at lower speeds around town and at higher speeds on the open road, with the larger footprint said to bring a dramatic improvement in the ForTwo's ability to carry speed through corners, without the need for premature intervention from the stability control system.

The wider track is also claimed to bring added stability at higher speeds, particularly in lane change maneuvers. Additional wheel travel and new damping characteristics should contribute to greater ride comfort with less vertical pitch over bumps.

Further developments include a new electromechanical steering system. According to Winkler, it provides the new two-seater with an ultra-tight 24.6-foot turning circle, or almost 4 feet less than today's model, for what she describes as "sensational maneuverability in an urban environment."

The new ForTwo is powered by an all-new transverse, rear-mounted engine. The 1.0-liter three-cylinder direct-injection petrol unit has been developed in partnership between Smart parent company Mercedes-Benz and Renault.

Two versions of the joint engineered powerplant are planned from the outset of U.K. sales: naturally aspirated 70 bhp and turbocharged 85 bhp. A more highly tuned turbocharged 105 bhp version will also appear on a successor to the ForTwo Brabus.

The new engine will come mated to a standard six-speed manual or optional seven speed dual clutch gearbox -- the latter produced by Getrag and revealed at the recent Frankfurt motor show. As with the previous two generations of the ForTwo, drive is channeled to the rear wheels.

For the first time since its introduction back in 1998, the signature Smart model will go without a diesel engine option. "We investigated the development costs for a new diesel. But they were prohibitively high for the limited sales volumes we could have expected," says Winkler.

Instead, Smart has concentrated its engineering efforts on a new electric drivetrain. Details remain scarce, but it is described as a development of the existing architecture used in the Smart ForTwo ED, which will continue to be produced alongside the new ForTwo.

The new ForTwo will be built in Smart's factory in Hambach, France, with the first production examples due down the line next May.

Joining the ForTwo in Smart's new lineup in 2015 will be the all-new second-generation ForFour, a car Winkler says has not yet been approved for sale in North America.

Essentially a stretched version of the ForTwo, with which it shares its complete front-end exterior styling and interior appointments, the new four-seater has been developed in a joint engineering program with the third-generation Renault Twingo, alongside which it will be produced in Nova Mesto, Slovenia.

Conceived to broaden Smart's sales reach while retaining the city car focus for which the company is known, the new ForFour runs to a length of 137.8 inches, according Winkler, making it 31.7 inches longer than the ForTwo but 9.9 inches shorter than its Mitsubishi Colt based predecessor produced between 2003 and 2006 but never officially sold in the U.S.

As with its perceived compact car rivals, the Fiat 500 and Volkswagen Up, the new Smart model, codenamed W453, attempts to appeal to city dwelling family car buyers by offering two rear seats and stubby rear doors that open to almost 90 degrees to aid entry. The individual rear seats are simple affairs that can easily be flipped to form a bench and extend luggage capacity.

The ForFour will be sold with the same engine as the ForTwo, a turbocharged 1.0-liter three cylinder petrol engine in differing states of tune, together with an electric drivetrain developed in partnership with Tesla.

By Greg Kable