The Smart Fortwo (stylized as "smart fortwo") is a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger city car manufactured and marketed by the Smart division of the German multinational Mercedes-Benz Group. Introduced in 1998, it is now in its third generation.
The first generation was internally designated as the W450, launched at the 1998 Paris Motor Show. The second generation W451 build series was launched at the 2006 Bologna Motor Show. The third generation Fortwo (2014–) was internally designated as the C453 build series, and debuted globally on July 16, 2014, at the Tempodrom in Berlin along with a closely related four-door version, the Smart Forfour, co-developed and sharing the same platform and engines with the third-generation Renault Twingo.
Marketed in 46 countries worldwide, Fortwo production had surpassed 1.7 million units by early 2015. The brand name Smart derives from its early history as a cooperative venture between Swatch and Mercedes: Swatch Mercedes ART. The Fortwo nameplate derives from its two-person seating capacity. Until 2004, the Fortwo had been marketed as the smart City-Coupé.
