Pininfarina Nido
It has taken six years for the world to catch up with Smart's innovative two-seater ForTwo. But it could finally have met its match - or indeed, its successor. Called the Nido, this machine offers more space and practicality than its pioneering rival, but a question mark still hangs over which manufacturer is behind the Pininfarina project.
The Nido showcases several design and engineering features which would take a car in this class to the next level. Building on Smart's original concept of a compact rear-wheel-drive two-seater, it is spacious, stylish and safe. If Smart is behind this concept, we have high hopes for the next-generation ForTwo.
It has taken six years for the world to catch up with Smart's innovative two-seater ForTwo. But it could finally have met its match - or indeed, its successor. Called the Nido, this machine offers more space and practicality than its pioneering rival, but a question mark still hangs over which manufacturer is behind the Pininfarina project. Although the Italian company is guarded about the source of the funding, it seems that the most likely candidate could be Smart itself.
Whoever is backing it, the styling specialist is confident enough in its new baby to let Auto Express climb behind the wheel. So how does the new city car measure up? When we first saw the Nido - in Italian it translates as 'nest' - at the Paris Motor Show in September, the vehicle's unique selling point was safety.
Bearing in mind the rollover controversy faced by the first version of the ForTwo - the tiny car tipped on its roof in a series of winter accidents - plus increasingly strict safety regulations, a fresh approach would do wonders for the next-generation ForTwo's image.
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The new Nido is 390mm longer, 159mm wider and 15mm shorter than Smart's smallest model, which makes the cabin far more comfortable. The interior is just as futuristic as the ex-terior, and is currently trimmed in a stretchy red fabric, which cleverly allows you to secure all manner of useful objects to it with Velcro.
On the road, the rear-engined, back-wheel-drive cutie is stylish and fun. The current prototype is fitted with a three-cylinder 700cc powerplant which feeds power through a six-speed sequential transmission. It's all very similar to Smart's current drivetrain.
Sixteen-inch three-spoke wheels connected to variably assisted drive-by-wire steering combine easy movements while parking and large-car handling at speed. Although visibility through the rear window is restricted, the full glass roof and long side windows make for decent all-round vision for the driver.
So what about those safety features? Pininfarina has explained to Auto Express that the Nido project began at the end of 2003. A pair of unspecified clients requested a study to be done to prove that future NCAP requirements for pedestrian and occupant safety could not only be met by a city car, but also exceeded.
Front-impact crash tests have already shown the technology built into the chassis and cabin of the Nido could make airbags completely unnecessary. Besides its front end being made entirely of collapsible honeycombed composite materials for pedestrian-impact safety, the egg-shaped cabin structure can actually slide.
Within the gaudy bright orange foam material between the dash and windscreen structure, Pininfarina has fitted twin dampers. In the event of a serious collision, these allow the cabin to shift as much as 350mm forwards and 120mm backwards in order to absorb the energy of the impact.
Now that Smart's range has grown to include a four-seater, and there are official plans for an SUV, it looks as if the German firm is no longer putting all its eggs in one basket...
