Photo: SB-Medien
With about two months until the third generation of the smart fortwo finally gets unveiled, with Daimler themselves mentioning a July launch in Berlin and a public debut in October, smart engineers are still hard at work testing pre-production prototypes of the lilliputian car in different parts of the world.
In case it's not obvious enough from the photo gallery below, the latest lonely prototype was spied doing some hill climbing in the Alps, and judging by one of the photo it was the only pre-production car there.
Despite the rather different design lines of its side, the upcoming smart fortwo will keep its overall length almost identical to the current generation, with the only major change in terms of exterior dimensions being in its width, which will increase considerably.
Smart say that the decision to increase the model's width was taken in order for the car to offer better elbow room for the two passengers, while also giving it more stability during cornering.
We have already seen a video of the horrible torture tests that another fortwo prototype was put through last Fall, so it is safe to say that the new model should be an even tougher cookie than the current generation.
By far the biggest premiere on the new car will be the fact that certain insiders have mentioned a pretty interesting fact about the upcoming model. If the rumors turn out to be true, the 2015 smart fortwo's turning radius should represent a world record, with just 7.50 meters (295 inches) required for it to turn in a single take.
Engine-wise, we should see a 0.9-liter Renault-sourced engine in various stages of power and in either naturally-aspirated and turbocharged form, paired to either dual-clutch transmission or – for the first time ever – a manual.
Expect the car to also receive a Brabus variant as well, powered by the same 0.9-liter three-cylinder with a turbocharger and around 110 hp, while an all-electric version should continue where the current fortwo electric drive will let off in 2015.
Despite the rather different design lines of its side, the upcoming smart fortwo will keep its overall length almost identical to the current generation, with the only major change in terms of exterior dimensions being in its width, which will increase considerably.
Smart say that the decision to increase the model's width was taken in order for the car to offer better elbow room for the two passengers, while also giving it more stability during cornering.
We have already seen a video of the horrible torture tests that another fortwo prototype was put through last Fall, so it is safe to say that the new model should be an even tougher cookie than the current generation.
By far the biggest premiere on the new car will be the fact that certain insiders have mentioned a pretty interesting fact about the upcoming model. If the rumors turn out to be true, the 2015 smart fortwo's turning radius should represent a world record, with just 7.50 meters (295 inches) required for it to turn in a single take.
Engine-wise, we should see a 0.9-liter Renault-sourced engine in various stages of power and in either naturally-aspirated and turbocharged form, paired to either dual-clutch transmission or – for the first time ever – a manual.
Expect the car to also receive a Brabus variant as well, powered by the same 0.9-liter three-cylinder with a turbocharger and around 110 hp, while an all-electric version should continue where the current fortwo electric drive will let off in 2015.
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