Adelmann said technology and crash test requirements make it difficult to build profitable small cars, which have low profit margins.

“There is a reason why it is very difficult for an OEM to succeed in the A segment, because the technology is more or less the same (as larger cars), the requirements of GSR (General Safety Regulation) 2.0 on the assistance systems are exactly the same. the same, EuroNCAP it’s exactly the same thing,” he continued. “You just can’t set a price, and it remains an industry-wide dilemma.

“We listen to our customers, we hear our retailers who are also pushing us, and we have two million people in Europe who have driven or are driving the ForTwo or the FourFour, so a two-seater is something we are working on, but we have not decided yet.”

Smart’s commitment to one new car per year means it will be 2027 at the earliest before a new No. 2 arrives, with the No. 3 coupe-SUV launching this year, the big No. 5 arriving next year and No. 6 scheduled to arrive in 2026.

Speaking about a possible collaboration with another brand on a small car, Adelmann pointed to past cooperations with Mitsubishi and Renault as proof of Smart’s previous success. The first ForFour was also a Mitsubishi Coltwhile the more recent ForTwo and ForFour shared their underpinnings with the Renault Twingo.

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