Sketches suggest next gen Smart Fortwo will wear some pretty fat rubber

There was a time when it seemed like Smart was on the cusp of world domination. The Daimler-owned marque had a range of city cars, all with their own appeal and distinctive styling. It was the Smart Fortwo however that really helped build the brand’s name. It seemed to be the answer to the fact that so many people in cities spent so much time driving alone in big cars, guzzling fuel.

The trouble was that other manufacturers twigged onto what was making Smart successful and produced similar cars at a fraction of the cost.

That in turn has meant that it’s struggled in some markets.

Now it’s determined to make a comeback with the launch of a revamped Smart Fortwo and a larger Forfour (in case you and your Smart-loving partner decide to have procreate) in Berlin later this evening.

The company’s not taking this relaunch, which has been preempted with a couple of sketches, lightly either. With the launch, it says it’s aiming to build the “best city cars in the world”.

The guiding theme, it seems is “FOR a new urban joy”, which apparently means very chunky tyres and curvy, luridly coloured interiors.

That said, the new Fortwo looks likely to include a more prominent grill and headlamps as well as a few other design flourishes that will probably be quite a bit more muted than those in the sketches.