Detroit Motor Show 2012: smart for-us

The smart for-us is a little bit of genius and a whole lot of fun in an otherwise dreary world. The for-us really is the work of an innovative carmaker who truly understand their target market. We got a glimpse of it in illustration form last month and now smart has unveiled the kooky concept car in all its Lilliputian.

Following on from the success of the for-four and for-two, smart have turned their attentions to the mini-SUV market. The for-us has a longer wheelbase and is wider than the other models to create the extra space needed for the 900mm load area but don’t think that makes it a big car, it would still fit comfortably on the back of almost any normal pick-up truck. 

At the rear, the addition of the electrically powered retractable tailgate is a stroke of that same genius we mentioned earlier, and the built-in docking station to charge your smart e-bike is even better. From the front the for-us brings back memories of the old Suzuki X90, only the smart is much, much cooler. The convex surfaces and 3-D design give the for-us the biggest smiley face ever seen on a car – you will find yourself smiling back at it, we promise.

The interior is a cocoon of mother-of-pearl (not literally) and brushed aluminium and as far as we can tell, the only flat surfaces inside the car can be found on the pedals you use to make it speed up and slow down. The inside has been aerodynamically styled so the air from the vents flows freely and the rear-view mirror has been replaced by an integrated video camera. Referring to the interior of a car as the cockpit always seems a little pretentious but not in the smart. Luke Skywalker would be quite happy flying around in this.

There is, unfortunately, a down side to all this design chic, specifically the 55kW magneto-electric motor powering the for-us. The smart is designed to be agile and lively and with the motor providing 73bhp and 95lb/ft of torque to this little car that’s more than likely been achieved – smart say the for-us will exceed 75mph – but all electric cars need recharging sooner or later and that’s often easier said than done.

Do we like this car? It’s cool, quirky, beautifully designed and incredibly clever so that would be a resounding, yes. We’d love to see one squeezed between the trees outside a little café in Paris and there is no doubt smart will sell plenty in the urban fashion capitals but is there a market in the rest of world? Probably not, but we simply don’t care because the for-us is destined to be a design classic and that’s why we love it.





By David Young

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