As part of a new documentary series “Innovation Deutschland” by WELT, smart shows how the brand continues to reinvent urban mobility.
Anyone who takes their car in a European metropolis in the morning knows the feeling: the challenge isn’t distance – it’s space. The parking spot. The gap in traffic. The tight turn in a multi-story car park. Cities have grown denser, louder, more demanding. And mobility demands have shifted with them: people commute across neighborhoods, switch between transport modes, and expect their vehicles to keep pace with their lives.
This is the context in which smart operates – and it’s precisely why the brand is featured in the new WELT documentary series “Innovation Deutschland.” Wolfgang Ufer, CEO of smart Europe, explains why innovation in mobility isn’t just about technology. It’s about fundamentally rethinking how we move through cities and beyond.
Since its inception, smart has asked one core question: what does a person actually need when moving through a city?
Compact, electric, urban – today, that sounds like a trend. For smart, it is the result of a long and deliberate journey. It began with the smart fortwo in 1998 – a vehicle that stripped mobility down to what truly matters. Electrification followed in steps, first as a mild hybrid, then from 2007 as a fully electric vehicle, at a time when most manufacturers still considered EVs a distant prospect. The conviction running through every one of those generations is the same: a city car doesn’t have to be a compromise. It can be a conscious choice. Small enough to navigate with ease. Clever enough to make space feel like plenty. Intuitive enough to get out of the way and let you focus on where you’re going.
Today, smart’s all-electric line-up – the smart #1, #3 and #5 – speaks to a wide range of lifestyles and makes clear that “urban” means far more than the daily commute.
The smart #1 is the all-rounder: five seats, up to 986 liters of trunk space with the rear seats folded, and a personality that is confident without being loud. It fits the parking space and the weekend road trip with equal ease. The smart #3 takes a different stance – a coupé-like silhouette, athletic proportions, and aerodynamics optimized for both performance and efficiency. It is a vehicle for those who see practicality and style not as opposites, but as two sides of the same idea. And the smart #5 takes things further: as the technological flagship of the range, built on an 800-volt architecture with genuine fast-charging capability, it is made for those who refuse to be limited by range.
Three models, three distinct concepts – united by one clear promise: to bring calm to modern driving.
New things take time to feel familiar. That is as true for cities as it is for drivetrains. Wolfgang Ufer, CEO of smart Europe, captures this moment of transition clearly:
Skepticism is human. Especially when something is new. While combustion engines have been the norm for over a century, electric driving can still feel unfamiliar to many. But the moment you experience it, perceptions begin to shift: electric mobility quickly reveals its advantages – a smooth driving experience, intuitive handling, and seamless integration into everyday life.Wolfgang Ufer, CEO smart Europe
That experience is what smart builds towards. Not technology for its own sake, but engineering that makes you feel why it’s there. Over-the-air updates keep all smart vehicles current without any additional effort or cost. Digital and in-person touchpoints work alongside each other, so every interaction with the brand can be as personal as the way each driver uses their vehicle.
Soon, a fourth model will join the all-electric family – one that anchors the entire portfolio in its clearest, most concentrated expression of what smart has always stood for.
With the smart #2, the brand opens a new chapter – not as a nostalgic callback, but as an evolution. A purpose-built two-seater, designed for the city and ready for the highway – a precise answer to a world where space is the scarcest resource. Electric, thoroughly modern, and built with everything today’s technology makes possible, the smart #2 will take the original idea and rebuild it from the ground up. The production model will make its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show in fall 2026.
What connects smart’s story across every model and every generation isn’t a technical specification – it is an attitude. The belief that a vehicle is truly good when it doesn’t get in the way. When it’s there when you need it and doesn’t demand attention when you don’t.
In the documentary “Innovation Deutschland”, Wolfgang Ufer, CEO of smart Europe, shares his perspective on how smart is helping shape this transition and what it takes to make electric mobility simple, accessible, and relevant for daily urban life.
Watch the full story now on WELT Online.