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Smart ForUs Debut

A Smart pickup truck that isn't.

Smart Research Click to hide
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What's New

We're not quite sure exactly why the folks at Mercedes-Benz division Smart decided to have Saturday Night Live alum Jon Lovitz introduce the Smart ForUs Concept. Maybe they thought a small, funny looking concept car needed a small, funny-looking comedian to stand on the podium. But for whatever reason, the car itself is also a little hard to understand. On one hand it's a Smart, which means it's tiny and only seats two people. On the other, it's an electric pickup truck, which can carry not much more than the electric Smart ebike bicycle, and even then you have to open the bed to make it fit.

Who It's For

As a concept vehicle the Smart ForUs is really for nobody, since nobody can buy it. However, Smart makes a big deal about how America loves trucks (true), and that this is the next-generation of truck for the urban environment (uh, maybe not quite true). We could envision eco-friendly hipsters hauling their fixies in the back of the all-electric Smart ForUs on their way to the local Occupy protest though.

Key Features

The biggest thing that stands out on the Smart ForUs concept is the whole idea of a Smart-sized pickup truck.

  • It's tiny: The whole vehicle stretches not much larger than your average Smart, although the bed does lengthen things slightly.
  • It's a recharger: You can park your electric Smart bicycle in the back, and the Smart ForUs will recharge it, although that'll likely impact the car's overall range.
  • It's slow: While Smart may brag about 0-60 km/h times of 5 seconds, remember that's barely above 30 mph. The limited top speed of 75 mph isn't very encouraging, either.

What We Think

We're not quite sure what to make of this vehicle. On one hand, it is sort of interesting looking. On the other, time and again we've seen that pickup buyers want actual, real trucks, and one only needs to look at the Honda Ridgeline or Subaru Baja for evidence. This truckified Smart may be an interesting concept, but don't expect to see it rolling down your local streets anytime soon.

Back to Auto Show Coverage: Detroit 2012