Mercedes-Benz is on a bit of a downsizing spree lately. After replacing the A-Class and B-Class hatchbacks, the German automaker released the new CLA, and plans on more models based on its new front-drive architecture. That will include a crossover or two (like the upcoming GLA), but this latest crossover will not only be even smaller, but it won't wear the Mercedes badge at all. As part of the Smart brand's expansion, the city-car company is reportedly planning to launch a tiny SUV of its own by 2016.

It wouldn't be the first time Smart had toyed with the idea of a crossover, having worked up a ForMore based on the previous ForFour back in 2005 that was ultimately shuttered deep inside its archives. The new crossover could similarly amount to little more than a higher-riding version of the upcoming next-generation four-door Smart with a bit of lower body cladding, but we'll have to wait to find out for sure.