Daimler AG is looking to get more involved in the small car market with the introduction of a redesigned four-door version of its Smart minicar and a new two-door Smart.
The two vehicles were unveiled Wednesday by Smart Automobile, a division of Daimler based in Germany, according to PC Magazine.
"The new Smart ForTwo and ForFour adopt the proven concept while offering more of just about everything- more space, more color, more equipment ... and even more fun in the city!" said Annette Winkler, CEO of Smart. "Our idea based on a total rethink of urban mobility has won through."
The 137-inch ForFour minicar is a new version of a model pulled from the market by the company in 2006, while Smart is the next generation of the ForTwo.
Daimler was able to sell 46,816 two-door Smart cars in the first half of 2014, which was down 10 percent from last year, the Wall Street Journal reported. Dieter Zetsche, chief executive of Daimler, did not give an estimate for how much the new minicars would make when discussing the vehicles at its unveiling in Germany.
The Smart is being aimed toward young, urban drivers looking for a sporty small car - a market that's said to be on the rise. The two new cars will put Daimler in competition with other automakers and their city cars, such as Volkswagen and its Up and Renault and its Twingo.
Both of the new cars feature three-cylinder engines, and drivers will be able to choose between a five-speed manual transmission or twinamic dual clutch. The price for the vehicles will be between 11,000 euros ($14,880) and 11,600 euros ($15,690).
The ForFour was built through a partnership between Daimler and Renault, and will feature rear-wheel drive and other components from Renault's Twingo. Daimler will have the ForFour produced at Renault's plant in Slovenia and the ForTwo made at its Smart factory in Hambach, France, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The new cars are set to be available in Europe in the fall and in the U.S. in 2015.
