Smart Update Brings Big Changes To Its Tiny Cars

As promised, Smart has introduced its newest fortwo and forfour tiny cars, and with them come some big changes, including the addition of a rear engine in the forfour model. We've got a gallery of both updated models after the jump.

Smart teased the new car earlier this week with a faux promotional video hailing a giant Smart Car model, one that towered above other vehicles on the road. All of it was a tongue-in-cheek way of pointing out the benefits of a tiny car in urban environments, something both of its new models adhere to.

The new fortwo model, says Smart's head of development Markus Riedel, is "even safer and in sum more grown up whilst retaining its length of 2.69 metres." Boasting points include a reduced turning circle. Both models have very similar designs, with the maker saying things like the grille, headlamps, and more are identical between the two-seater and the four-seater.

On the forfour model, the rear doors open to nearly 90-degrees, and both models have "a high proportion" of ultra-high strength hot-formed steels and multiphase steel as part of its design, with the manufacturer keeping a focus as much on safety as design. A new front axle, higher tire side walls, and new Passion, Prime, and Proxy lines are among the changes.

The models will be offered with two three-cylinder engines at launch, 52kW/71hp and 66kW/90hp offerings, with the turbocharged engine including an electronically controlled wastegate. The models are set to launch in November.

SOURCE: Daimler