Mercedes Let The Smart Car Die — Now China Brought It Back And It’s Better Than The Original!

In 1998, a Swiss watchmaker and Mercedes-Benz gave the world the smallest car on the road: the Smart City-Coupé. Two seats, wheels at the corners, short enough to park sideways. It became a design icon in Paris, Rome and London — and it lost billions. In 2024 the last little Smart left the Hambach factory and Mercedes walked away. Now, designed by Mercedes and built by Geely in China, the tiny two-seater is back as the all-new Smart #2. We put the original 1998 City-Coupé side by side with the new #2: size, turning circle, range, charging, design and interior. Is the new Smart really better than the original? Chapters: The Smart car defined urban mobility for twenty-five years before production stopped. Now, it is making a surprise return. For over two decades, the compact design of the Smart car became a familiar sight in cities like Rome, Paris, and London. It was the ultimate solution for tight parking and narrow streets, cementing its place in automotive history as a pioneer of the microcar segment. However, the original project faced difficulties, leading to the final unit rolling off the French assembly line in March 2024. While Mercedes-Benz chose to end the era, the brand did not disappear entirely. By moving car production to China, the vehicle has been reimagined, aiming to combine its classic philosophy for city cars with modern engineering. We examine why the original concept struggled and how this new iteration intends to pick up where the last one left off. Subscribe for weekly automotive history breakdowns, and let us know in the comments if you ever owned one of the original models. 0:00 The Little Car That Refused To Die 1:35 Part 2 – A Car Born From A Watch 3:12 Part 3 – The Test That Nearly Killed It 5:36 Part 4 – Why Mercedes Gave Up 7:32 Part 5 – The Comeback 9:31 Part 6 – Old Versus New 12:16 Part 7 – Better Than The Original? Did you ever drive one of the old Smart cars? Would you put the new #2 on your driveway? Tell us in the comments. #Smart #Smart2 #SmartFortwo #ElectricCar #CityCar