Good turned synonymous with tiny however well-engineered metropolis automobiles, and its most iconic mannequin is what turned generally known as the ForTwo. Three generations and 26 years of steady manufacturing for the reason that ForTwo’s debut in 1998, and Good pulled the plug on the mannequin in 2024, however it’s seeking to ultimately launch a alternative.
Good modified its focus after it turned a 50/50 three way partnership between its authentic proprietor, Mercedes-Benz, and China’s Geely in 2019. Now the aim is to take the model upmarket and make bigger and costlier fashions like the #1, #3 and #5 electrical crossovers, and there doesn’t appear to be as huge a enterprise case for tiny metropolis two-seaters like the Fortwo.
The Good Fortwo might return, however most likely to not the US
Good offered the Fortwo within the US till 2019 when gross sales of the mannequin had fallen to a couple hundred models. Even when Good revives the mannequin, we do not assume it is going to be introduced again to the US the place patrons appear to want bigger autos even for city driving.
Nonetheless, there’s a purpose why Good is skipping the #2 identify for now: it is going to be utilized in a future revival of the Fortwo (pictured). Autocar talked to Good Europe CEO Dirk Adelmann, who revealed the corporate’s intention to convey again the pint-sized two-seater however stopped wanting confirming its arrival.
Adelmann stated, “We’re engaged on that one. The run-out of the present Fortwo was two months in the past, now. It might have been nice to have a direct successor – we do not, however we’re engaged on it.” He went on to clarify that Good doesn’t consider there’s sufficient demand to justify the corporate investing in a platform that it could solely use for this one mannequin.
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This type of automobile would solely actually be widespread in Europe, however even when it’s a comparatively huge market, it nonetheless wouldn’t generate sufficient demand for Good to do it alone. He famous that “the very best 12 months for Fortwo was round 100,000 models, and that is not sufficient to justify a platform,” concluding that “in the event you share this platform with companions—we’re nonetheless in analysis—then you may also share the funding prices and the manufacturing web site etcetera, and it begins making sense. We wish to have a constructive enterprise case for us, for our retailers and in the long run for our prospects.”
All new fashions revealed below Geely’s part-ownership have been constructed atop the Chinese language firm’s SEA (Sustainable Expertise Structure) platform, which has a number of variants and is utilized in Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr and even Lotus EVs like the brand new Emeya that we lately drove. The latter employs essentially the most feature-packed model of the platform, which known as Electrical Premium Structure (EPA), but it surely’s also referred to as SEA-P (the place the P stands for Premium).
Geely doesn’t have a model of the SEA platform that might be an acceptable match for a Good Fortwo-sized automobile, so it’s on the lookout for a associate to provide one. To remain true to the spirit of the unique Fortwo, the brand new one must be rear-wheel drive, however there are presently no rear-wheel drive EV platforms for autos this small.
Launching a Fortwo successor isn’t a precedence for Good proper now, as it’s seeking to bolster its lineup with crossovers which are a lot larger and costlier than any earlier automobile to put on the Good badge. The producer makes use of odd numbers for crossovers, whereas even numbers are reserved for coupe-like crossovers and different non-crossover fashions like the town automotive.
