Will smart Bring Back the forfour?

The smart forfour was one of two vehicles launched during smart’s giant expansion during the early part of this decade. As its name suggests, this was the smart that could seat four adults (compared to the fortwo, which only has room for two), but smart wasn’t ready for it. Sales of the car, despite receiving good initial reviews, weren’t strong, which forced the Daimler division to phase it out of production after only three years in production. Its chassis twin, the Mitsubishi Colt, is still going strong.

The forfour was one of the cars earmarked for sale in North America, along with its stillborn cousin, the more SUV-like formore. But now with strong interest here in the USA for the new generation fortwo, with ever-increasing pump prices fueling its resolve, a second smart model could be on the way with room for four.

Initial reports suggest that the next generation forfour won’t have the same conventional subcompact layout as the old forfour, in that it won’t feature a front engine or front wheel drive. Having forged a unique reputation as a micro-car builder, smart wants to hold onto the layout of the fortwo. By extending the Tridion frame it can create sufficient room for a second row. Basing its larger car on the architecture of its smaller one would save development and production money too, allowing this car to hit competitive price targets necessary for success.

Although Mercedes-Benz no longer has ties to Mitsubishi, there’s certainly no doubt that the Germans have seen the iCar, Mitsubishi’s tiny rear-engined, rear wheel drive four-seater. Their popular city car might be the inspiration for this forthcoming forfour.