Has anyone noticed how many smart fortwo cars are on the road recently? Here in the states, it seems that the pint-sized city car is really catching on.

The smart fortwo became available in the U.S. in January 2008, and ever since it has provided a lot of drivers with exactly what they’re looking for: an efficient city car design, reliability, safety, a gas-sipping engine, seating for two…the list seems to go on and on. So what’s the problem?

Well, really there is no problem; there’s just the simple fact that there are times when you need seating for more than two people. In response, smart, a member of Mercedes-Benz Cars, has developed a solution. A new model is about to change smart’s somewhat limited two person seating by adding two rear doors and a couple of seats. Speculation is that the new model will be called the smart fortwo+2.

Understand that this is not the unpopular smart forfour model that was cancelled after just two years due to poor sales. Instead, the fortwo+2 design will look very similar to the smart fortwo with the exception of two small rear doors. Sam Hardy from Auto Express says, “These reverse-hinged units give access to two individual chairs in the back. Underneath the skin, the car features the same rear-wheel-drive layout as the regular fortwo with the engine under the boot floor, but with a stretched wheelbase giving extra legroom.”

So where can you get a fortwo+2? According to Leftlane News, Mercedes hasn’t yet announced which markets will get the fortwo+2 model, “but the U.S. is most certainly on the top of the list of possible candidates.”

One tiny bit of bad news goes along with this announcement: It looks like we might have to wait until 2012 for the fortwo+2 model to hit the showroom floors.

More smart fortwo and other small car stuff:
How the Smart Car Works
HowStuffWorks Videos – “How the Smart Car Works”
HowStuffWorks Videos – “Smart Car Crash Test Results”
How Stackable Cars Will Work
Small Car Pictures