Smart is about to embark on an ambitious new marketing campaign to promote its ForTwo minicar in the U.S., and hopefully get the brand into mainstream after the failed attempt by former distributor Penske.

Unfortunately, a new generation Smart ForTwo isn’t due until 2014 but the brand is keen to preview its future models with a string of concepts, the latest being the 2011 Smart Forvision, which will be officially unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show in less than two weeks’ time.

Following on from the Forspeed and Escooter concepts unveiled in the past 12 months, the Forvision rides on a brand new platform developed by Smart’s parent company Daimler together with Renault-Nissan.

The next-generation ForTwo is expected to share its underpinnings with the Renault Twingo, and will come with gasoline, diesel and electric powertrains. The power source will be mounted at the rear and drive the corresponding axle.

As the latest concept reveals, Smart will be going even smaller than the current model and pick up a new cutesy look that should win it a lot of fans.

For its design, Smart also teamed up with fellow German firm BASF. The chemicals giant was responsible for developing new materials such as the plastic wheels, carbon fiber resin passenger cell, and the door innards.

No details were given about its powertrain except that it’s an all-electric drive system aided by solar panels mounted in the roof.

Look out for more details closer to the Forvision’s unveiling at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show on September 13.

It's a new day for Daimler's Smart brand that welcomed two new models to its range on Wednesday, the third-generation ForTwo and the second-generation ForFour, with which it hopes to expand its reach into the city car segment and boost worldwide sales.

While the latest iteration of the ultra-compact ForTwo that has been in production since 1998 follows the same recipe as its predecessors, sprinkled with a fresh design and new hardware, the new ForFour is a completely different car than the first-generation made from 2004-2006, which was a re-bodied Mitsubishi Colt sub-compact hatch.

The new ForFour is practically an elongated version of the ForTwo with five doors and seating for four, with both models closely related to the new Renault Twingo, with which they share their underpinnings, including the rear-drive, rear-mounted engine layout.

Besides having a similar playful design, the ForTwo and ForFour also share the same width (1,660mm) and height (1,550mm), but differ in wheelbase and overall length, with the two-door Smart measuring 2,690mm long with a 1,873mm wheelbase, and the four-door model, 3,490mm long with a 2,494mm wheelbase.

Additionally, the rear doors open by almost 90 degrees on the ForFour to ease passenger entry and exit, while all variants get a folding front passenger seat backrest as standard. The ForTwo has 260 liters of cargo space, while the ForFour offers 185 liters behind the rear seats and 730 liters behind the front ones.

Smart advertises a super small turning circle for both cars, at 6.95 m (from kerb to kerb) and 7.30 m (from wall to wall) for the ForTwo, and at 8.65 m (kerb to kerb) and 8.95 m (wall to wall) for the ForFour.

Two petrol engines have been announced for launch, a 1.0-liter naturally-aspirated 3-cylinder rated at 70hp (72PS) and 91Nm, and a 0.9-liter turbo'd 3-cylinder generating 89hp (90PS) and 135Nm. Later on, a 59hp (60PS) petrol engine will be added to the range, while we've also heard about a more powerful unit for the Brabus sports editions.

Drive power is supplied by state-of-the-art three-cylinder engines rated at 45 kW/60 hp, 52 kW/71 hp and 66 kW/90 hp, while power transmission is performed by a five-speed manual transmission or the twinamic automatic dual clutch transmission

Buyers will be able to choose between a five-speed manual gearbox and the twinamic six-speed dual clutch transmission, both driving the rear wheels.

As a car made by the same company that builds Mercs, the Smarts come will all sorts of safety features such as Crosswind Assist (standard), forward collision warning (option) and Lane Keeping Assist (option).

The new Smarts will go on sale in Europe in November, with the ForTwo to keep the same prices as the outgoing model, and the ForFour costing around €600 (~$800) more than the equivalent ForTwo.

North America will only get the new ForTwo, as Daimler believes that there's not enough demand for the ForFour to justify the cost of homologation

Smart has announced the start of sales of the all-new ForTwo and ForFour in Germany, with the two city cars priced from €10,895 ($14,590) and €11,555 ($15,474), respectively.

Both prices correspond to the base models fitted with the 70hp engine and manual transmission sold in Germany. First deliveries will take place on November 22, while models equipped with the top 89hp turbo engine will follow in December. Smart’s Twinamic dual clutch transmission will become available in the spring of 2015.

Entry-level models are equipped as standard with LED daytime driving lights, central locking with radio remote control, visual locking-verification signal and immobilizer, cruise control with limiter (variable speed limitation), exterior temperature indicator with frost warning, instrument cluster with monochrome LCD display and trip computer, and electric windows at the front.

Both the Smart ForTwo and the Smart ForFour will be offered with three equipment lines, Passion, Prime and Proxy. The Passion line offers a choice of color combinations in black/orange or black/white for the interior, multifunction steering wheel in leather, instrument cluster with a 3.5-inch color TFT display and the Direct-Steer system with variable ratio. Passion models cost an additional €1,390 for both the ForTwo and ForFour.

The Prime line adds black leather seats with white topstitching, a multifunction steering wheel and shift lever **** in leather, Direct-Steer system, heated seats for driver and passenger and Lane Keeping Assist. Additional cost is €1,990 for the ForTwo and €2,150 for the ForFour.

Finally, the Proxy line brings a panoramic roof and seats in leather look and white/blue fabric, Cool & Audio package and Sports package with 16-inch alloy wheels. Proxy models cost an additional €3,390 for the ForTwo and €3,500 for the ForFour.

For a limited time, Smart will also offer Edition #1 models which bring exclusive design features such as a tridion safety cell in lava orange combined with bodypanels/body in white on the ForTwo and graphite grey on the ForFour. Further features include painted black 16-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension lowering the vehicle by 10 mm and a panoramic roof with sun protection.

The interior features seats with black/orange fabric upholstery, dashboard and door center panel in orange fabric, accent trim parts in black/grey, leather multifunction sports steering wheel in a 3-spoke design, shift lever **** in leather, sports pedals in brushed stainless steel with rubber studs, velour floor mats with Edition #1 lettering and stowage compartment in the tailgate. Prices for Edition #1 models are €13,990 for the ForTwo and €14,990 for the ForFour.

German auto giant Daimler has taken the wraps off the latest version of its smallest car, the all-new 2016 Smart ForTwo. This time, however, the four-door variant has made a comeback, with Smart also introducing a new ForFour overnight. The tiny duo was presented at a special event in Berlin, where Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche and the head of Smart Annette Winkler were on hand to unveil the cars.

At present, only the new ForTwo has been confirmed for the U.S. market. It will arrive sometime next year, as a 2016 model. Europe will get both the new ForTwo and ForFour models this November. In Europe, the ForTwo will be priced less than 11,000 euros (approximately $14,875), while its four-door sibling will start at just 600 euros more ($811). U.S. pricing and specifications will be announced closer to next year’s sales launch.

The platform of the new Smart range retains the brand’s rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive concept and Daimler alliance partner Renault has already used it for its latest Twingo (the French automaker will also manufacturer the ForFour, while Smart will manufacture the ForTwo). Importantly, the platform has undergone improvements in virtually all areas, especially refinement and comfort—a harsh ride was one of the major downsides of the previous generation.

While the Smarts will offer buyers in most markets a choice between three three-cylinder engines, all of them gasoline units, in the U.S. we’ll only get a single unit, good for 90 horsepower and 100 pound-feet of torque. That engine will be mated to either a five-speed manual or an all-new dual-clutch transmission called a Twinamic. Further down the track, a new generation of the Smart ForTwo electric drive should be launched.

The new ForTwo keeps its current length of slightly less than 9 feet long (2.69 meters), but it’s roughly 4 inches (10 cm) wider. The small proportions help the ForTwo boast the best turning radius, at 22.8 feet curb to curb, while the ForFour, which is 11.5 feet long (3.49 meters) needs 28.4 feet.

In the area of safety, the new Smart cars come with a blind-spot monitoring system as standard as well as a driver airbag, driver kneebag and front passenger airbag. Each seat also comes with a three-point seat belt with belt force limiter and pyrotechnic belt tensioner as standard. Forward collision warning and lane-keeping assist will be optional. Finally, the highly robust tridion passenger cell (still visible from the outside) is able to prevent major deformation even in very severe collisions. And for additional safety, the gas tank is located safely outside the deformation zone in front of the rear axle.

For a more in-depth look at the new Smart Fortwo and ForFour, head to our sister site Green Car Reports.

The list of world premieres at the Geneva Motor Show just keeps getting longer and longer, with Daimler group-tuner Carlsson today announcing their take on the new Smart ForTwo.

They're calling the program CK10 and for now, it focuses on the cosmetics and the chassis leaving the city car's engine bay intact – for the time being.

For the new-gen ForTwo's exterior, Carlsson offers 17-inch alloy wheels, front and rear spoilers, and a rear diffuser with cutouts for a pretentious set of quad pipes, which will only make your Smart look, and not go, faster.

Carlsson’s upholstery department says it can give the ForTwo's interior a bespoke feel by dressing the seats, dashboard, steering wheel and other components in leather or Alcantara surfaces and cross-stitching or piping of your choice.

Other options include a pedal set with matching footrest, gearshift **** and handbrake handle, all made from high-grade aluminum, plus unique floor mats.