Contrary to this latest batch of spy shots,->ke166 Daimler’s Smart->ke83 division is not working on an off-road version of the 2016 Smart Fortwo or a tow-capable version of the new Smart Forfour. Instead, the spy photographers came upon an unfortunate engineer who seems to have driven off the road and gotten stuck in the thick vegetation.

The circumstances behind the incident are unknown, but it wasn’t severe enough to cause the airbags to deploy. Fortunately, it would appear that the driver escaped uninjured (with the possible exception of a bruised ego) and it doesn’t look like the prototype suffered any major damage. The mishap did require a Smart Forfour to be dispatched as the cutest little recovery vehicle ever, although it isn’t clear if the 90-horsepower four-door city car had the guts to pull its smaller counterpart from the brush.

We just recently had our first look at the 2016 Smart Fortwo Cabriolet testing in Spain, and like this vehicle, it seems to be in production-ready form wearing almost no camouflage. This most likely means that the convertible->ke144 Fortwo could debut soon, with the Frankfurt Motor Show->ke235 being the best guess. With the 2016 Smart Fortwo Coupe going on sale in the U.S. this fall, the release of the Cabriolet probably won’t be too far behind.

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Why it matters

This incident likely says nothing about the safety or quality of the next-gen Smart Fortwo Cabriolet itself, but it does show just how difficult life can be for the engineers who test these vehicles.

Smart ForTwo

Read our full review of the fortwo coupe here.