Production for Smart EQ ForFour shut down, to be replaced by new model

Last month, the production of Smart EQ’s ForFour was shut down at the Novo Mesto plant of Renault in Slovenia. The much-loved electric hatchback will not be available for sale in any country, including the UK. 

The ForFour first graced the automobile market in 2017 after which it received a facelift in 2019. Equipped with a small but powerful 17.6 kWh battery, the vehicle provided a power output of 80 hp and had a 112 km of range per charge. While these numbers did impress during its initial years, they were not up for competition with the current EVs in the market. 

For now, the only Smart model available in the UK will be the Smart EQ ForTwo in convertible and hardtop variants. However, there has been news that the company will soon announce a Smart Concept #1, that is being developed by Geely. 

The Smart brand is a collaboration between Geely and Mercedes-Benz. Thus, the new concept will get the best of both worlds - design and styling by Mercedes and engineering by Geely. Concept #1 will mark Smart EQ’s entry into the fully electric vehicle segment and will be the first model released under the Geely era.

Concept #1 debuted in September at the 2019 Munich show. It was described as a clear insight into Smart’s new generation electric vehicles. The Chinese company also released patent images a month later that show that the SUV’s design will remain true to this concept.

The upcoming model might also feature a powerful central computer. It will control the electronic/electric vehicle architecture, the electromobility-specific functions, driver assistance systems, and the infotainment system.

From the above news, it is needless to say that we are very excited to see how the Smart EQ Concept #1 turns out. And from what we hear, it will be a premium electric vehicle providing the best performance to its owners. So stay tuned for more updates!

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