The Smart ForStars Concept could signal plans for a micro sport-ute coupe.
You can’t blame Smart for shooting for the stars. Considering its poor performance in recent years, it has nowhere to go but up.
And the Daimler microcar subsidiary is hoping to signal where it will be going when an all-new line-up of products comes out soon with the debut of the Smart ForStars concept vehicle. It will make its appearance 10 days from now at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.
Smart has already offered a hint of what the next-generation Fortwo 2-seater will look like with the earlier ForVision show car. The ForStars appears to be a preview of something a big larger; think the Smart take on the Mini Countryman, perhaps, as it dubs the new concept a “Sports-Utility Coupe.”
The electric tailgate conceals a flexble storage compartment.
Indeed, there are some distinct similarities to the British maker’s new Paceman – which will also appear in Paris, for the first time, in production trim. That includes the Smart Forstars’ helmet-like roof. Here, however, the maker is using transparent glass panels rather than two-tone paint.
Though the basic shape and design cues won’t surprise those familiar with the current Smart line-up, the ForStars does make some much-needed changes, such as the parallelogram headlamps and sporty grille. The “face” appears to smile, with dimpled air ducts below the bumper and painted “eyebrows” above the headlamps.
The high-tech concept includes a video projector built into the hood. But one of the Smart ForStar’s most intriguing features may be the unexpectedly large cargo bay – which can be expanded by as much as a foot through sliding rails and accessed through an electrically-operated tailgate.
The high-tech Smart ForStars interior.
The interior also features removable, hammock-like seat covers. The steering wheel is open at the top. And instead of a rearview mirror the Smart ForStars has a place to hold a smartphone which can be linked to a rear-facing camera.
As for the drivetrain, the Smart ForStars uses the same basic system already offered in the Fortwo Brabus Electric Drive. But the motor is upgraded to 60 kilowatts and draws power from a 17.6 kWh lithium-ion battery. Torque is rated at 135 Newton-meters. And top speed is just over 80 mph.
Smart will begin to roll out an entirely new generation of products in just over a year. The much-needed replacements are being developed as part of Daimler’s rapidly expanding partnership with the Euro-Asian Renault-Nissan Alliance.