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Smart on the move (here in Rome, 2018): The end of one of the most exciting and at the same time most painful chapters in recent Mercedes history

Photo: Ryhor Bruyeu / Pond5 Images / IMAGO

Over, over, that's it: After more than 25 years, Mercedes is ending production of the Smart Fortwo. "According to plans, production of the current two-seater models smart EQ fortwo coupé and cabrio will end by the end of March 2024," a company spokeswoman told SPIEGEL. At times there was talk of a slightly later end for the car.

With the final end of the two-seater, which was initially only 2.50 meters short, Mercedes is drawing the line under one of the most exciting and at the same time most painful chapters in the company's recent history. Once announced as a mobility revolution, the Smart had developed into a billion-dollar grave for the Swabians.

The hope of bringing an electrically powered mass model onto the roads early on was dashed even before production began: instead of being powered by an electric drive as initially planned, the small car with a combustion engine went into series production. Instead of Smart, Tesla later became the first brand to make a breakthrough with electric cars. Smart has built around two million two-seaters since 1998, most of them with combustion engines.

The management in Stuttgart repeatedly made it clear that Smart never made a profit. This is one of the reasons why Mercedes decided in spring 2019 to bring the brand into a cooperation with the Chinese manufacturer Geely. The combustion engine drive was finally phased out that year and Smart became at least the first purely European electric car brand.

“Together we will design, develop and build the next generation of electric smart cars in China for the global market,” said then-Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche. Although the partners kept their word, the first release from this collaboration, presented as #1 in 2022, only has the brand name in common with the original. The 82 hp, 2.70 meter short two-seater for 21,490 euros has become a 4.30 meter long, also electric CrossOver, which costs at least 37,490 euros and delivers up to 428 hp. After all: Instead of the standard range of 133 kilometers, the #1 offers up to 420 kilometers. A new two-seater will follow at some point.

As soon as the joint venture started, it was clear that the days of the “real” Smart were numbered. What followed was a painful farewell in installments.

For the ForFour, the slightly larger brother of the two-seater at 3.50 meters long, it was over at the end of 2021. And almost exactly a year ago, Smart closed the order books for the Fortwo and from then on processed the last orders. These included the 150 copies of an unofficial final edition for coupé and convertible, advertised by German dealers with the slogan “Mission Completed”, fully equipped and a few stickers for around 30,000 euros.

Politicians share responsibility for the fact that the affordable, electric small car has actually come to an end. The EU has adopted a new standard for cybersecurity in cars, which is difficult and expensive to implement in older models. Many models fail at this hurdle this spring - in addition to the Smart, the Audi TT, the VW Multivan and the Porsche Boxster.

Many employees at the Hambach plant are probably more relaxed about the end of the Smart. The factory was built in structurally weak Lorraine for almost half a billion euros and with large subsidies from Brussels, Paris and Berlin and opened in October 1997. In good years, more than 1,500 employees built up to 140,000 cars in “Smartville”.

But they don't have to fear for their jobs. The chemical giant Ineos took over the factory in December 2020. Irony of history: Where the small, clever car that was ahead of its time was born, Ineos is now building the Grenadier off-road vehicle. It weighs almost three tons, about two and a half times as much as the Smart.

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