Daimler’s smart division has announced it has stopped production of the fortwo electric drive.
The company explains that demand for the electric drive (pictured) is low but steady. However, the EV is based on the last-gen smart and building it alongside the new third-gen model in Hambach, France, requires a costly investment that’s hard to justify for such a low-volume model.
Smart has a handful of electric drive models in its global inventory, but the company predicts all of them will be spoken for before the year draws to a close. After that, buyers seeking an all-electric smart will either need to be patient or look for a used one.
Although smart is currently developing a brand new fortwo electric drive with input from industrial partner Renault, production isn’t scheduled to start until well into the second half of next year. Until we’re given a more specific time frame, it’s not too far-fetched to assume the next battery-powered smart will be presented at next year’s Paris Motor Show, and land on our shores as a 2017 model.
What’s next?
Like the model that just went out of production, the next electric drive will be based on the tiny fortwo. Long-standing rumors indicate the marginally bigger forfour will also spawn an EV, but smart has refused to comment on the matter.
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