Smart

Smart, the automotive brand best known for its pint-sized, subcompact cars, has confirmed it is developing an electric SUV that will be small on the outside, but big on the inside. According to a LinkedIn post from the brand's Vice President of Sales, Marketing & After-Sales, Daniel Lescow, Smart's first SUV "won't just be any SUV". "It will be exceptional – instantly recognizable as smart, ultra-modern, sophisticated and advanced in connectivity solutions," Mr Lescow said.

Smart has revealed the Final Collector's Edition based on its ForTwo city car, marking the last run of combustion-powered vehicles for the micro car specialist before it switches to full e-mobility. Just 21 examples of these special editions will be produced, developed in collaboration with industrial designer, Konstantin Grcic. The Final Collector's Edition commemorates 21 years of the Smart brand, the 21-vehicle final production run, and "21 years always a step ahead".

Daimler and Geely have agreed to form a joint venture company to run Smart, with each firm owning 50 per cent and having three seats on the board of directors. As was planned before today's announcement, Smart will become an all-electric brand from 2020 onwards. It will also continue to focus on inner city-friendly vehicles, although the "product portfolio is also planned to be extended into the fast-growing B-segment".

Brabus has revealed its latest take on the Smart ForTwo, in the form of the limited-edition 125R. Although power still comes from a three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, the boffins at Brabus have bumped outputs from 66kW and 135Nm to 93kW and 200Nm. The bump comes from a modified air intake, a new intercooler, and a recalibrated ECU. With a triple exhaust running a valved sports setup, it should sound pretty good.

There are plenty of cars well suited to carting around the makings of a disco. Vans, for example, have plenty of space for the speakers, lights, smoke machines and equipment necessary for a big party. In a marketing tie-up with a product designer Konstantin Grcic, Smart took what was arguably the least-suited car for carting equipment around – the ForTwo – and turned it into the Mobile Disco. As marketing stunts go, this is an interesting one.