Smart

smart Automobile Co., Ltd.
Company type	Joint venture
Industry	Automotive
Founded	February 1994; 32 years ago (marque); 2019; 7 years ago (joint venture);
Headquarters	Ningbo, China
Key people	Tong Xiangbei (CEO)
Products	Electric vehicles
Owners	Mercedes-Benz Group (50%); Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (50%);
Subsidiaries	smart Europe GmbH; smart Automobile Sales Co., Ltd.;
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Website	uk.smart.com
	Footnotes / references;

smart is a brand of microcars and superminis based in Böblingen, Germany. It is a division of Daimler AG. The brand was started in 1994. The brand became a joint venture between Geely and Mercedes-Benz in 2019, launching the Smart #1 in 2022 and announcing the Smart #3 in 2023.

History

Origins

The design concept for the marque's automobiles began at Mercedes-Benz in the early 1970s to late 1980s. After brief backing by Volkswagen, the first model was released by Daimler-Benz in October 1998. Several variants on the original design have been introduced, with the original being the "City Coupé" that would be renamed the "ForTwo".^[5]

Current models

Production	Model	Picture
2014–present	Smart Fortwo (C453) Smart Fortwo Cabrio (A453)
2017–present	Smart EQ Fortwo Smart EQ Fortwo Cabrio
2022–present	Smart #1
'2023-present"	Smart #3

Historic models

Production	Model	Picture
1998–2000	Smart City-Coupé (C450) & City-Cabrio* (*from 2000) (A450)
2002	Smart Crossblade
2001–2007	Smart City-Coupé (C450) & City-Cabrio (renamed Fortwo in 2004) (A450)
2001–2004	Smart K (Japan only)
2003–2005	Smart Roadster Coupé (R452) Smart Roadster Cabrio (C452)
2004–2006	Smart Forfour (W454)
2007–2015	Smart Fortwo (C451) Smart Fortwo Cabrio (A451)
2008–2016 (2008–2011 in limited trials^[6])	Smart Fortwo Electric Drive (formerly known as EV) (C453) Smart Fortwo Cabrio Electric Drive (A453)
2014–2019	Smart Forfour (W453)
2017–2022	Smart EQ Forfour