Top 3 things you need to know about the Smart Fortwo
Daimler’s smart division will switch to all-electric power this year, and so the petrol-driven fortwo city cars which were available here since 2003 dropped from our price lists in September 2019. There is a chance we’ll see the new electric smart here, but not before 2021
The top 3 things you need to know about the smart fortwo.
1. The smart fourtwo was introduced here in 2003. It had already been on sale in Europe for a few years, and was a pure city car, resulting from a concept between Swiss watchmaker Swatch and Mercedes-Benz. It featured a small turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine of 700 cc which produced 45 kW. It was mated to an unusual automatic-clutch gearbox which gave lots of lag between gear changes. The upright 2-seater had a length of just 2,5 metres and was considered very chic at the time.
2. Mercedes-Benz South Africa continued to market the next 2 generations of the smart fortwo, as well as other versions of the smart. There was a roadster which had a short-lived model run here in 2004, and the forfour was also introduced, which was a more conventional four-seater hatchback. The forfour continued to be sold here until last year. The smart fortwo has never gained widespread popularity here, being seen more as an impractical plaything for wives of wealthy male Mercedes-Benz owners, or mobile promotional billboards for companies that liked to portray a funky image.
Nevertheless, if you are keen on buying a used smart, AutoTrader currently lists over examples of the brand for sale.
3. The smart brand dropped off the South African new car price lists in the third quarter of 2019, as Daimler AG’s smart division ceased all production of the petrol models. It has been announced that for 2020 all smart products will feature all- electric drive trains, with the first models being marketed in Europe and possibly the USA, although some reports suggest that the smart brand has been dropped for the American markets, due to poor sales. It is not known if and when the all-electric smart will debut here. Our guess is that it is quite likely, as South African interest in electric vehicles is growing. But no launch of the electric smart is planned for 2020.
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