What's all this about?
Potentially another variant of the Smart car, following on from the UK launch of the all-new Fortwo and Forfour models in Newcastle this month.
So what can you tell me?
Ah. Not a great deal. In fact, nothing concrete - but, when pressed on the potential for further body styles for the range in the near future, the Smart people at the event would not categorically deny any burgeoning of the line-up.
What could we expect?
Well, we doubt the Crossblade would ever make a reappearance. Remember that? It was based on the City Cabrio (the two-seater Smart was only known as the Fortwo later in 2002) and this mad machine had no roof, windscreen or doors. Brabus had a play with the 599cc engine, liberating a crazy 71hp in the process.
OK, is there anything more likely to reappear?
We're hopeful that the Roadster might be reinvented for the 2010s. More than 43,000 were built between 2003 and 2005 and it was always an intriguing proposition - light weight, small footprint, striking looks. Brabus even made a V6 Bi-Turbo prototype, which - with 218hp - had the same power-to-weight ratio as a contemporary Porsche 911 Carrera 4S.
What about crossovers?
You can forget that. It would seem the Tridion safety cell, the defining feature of all Smarts, can't be incorporated into such a shape. So it's unlikely we'll see any mini-SUVs from the company in the years to come.
And hot versions?
Much more likely. We've already mentioned Brabus, and we reckon a rapid version of the rear-engined, rear-wheel drive Fortwo (currently available with 90hp maximum) would be a hoot. Also, the Mercedes-AMG tie-up is another potential avenue, although we reckon Affalterbach might not want to turn its attention to the very smallest models from the Daimler fold. Whatever happens next, it's going to be interesting to see how the Smart brand develops.
Matt Robinson - 18 Feb 2015