Smart cars return! We get Smart buying experience at flagship Brisbane showroom

In the blink of an eye, Smart cars are back on sale in Australia.

A few short months ago nothing was set in stone, but the re-booted all-electric brand is now operational in Australia, and deliveries of its #1 and #3 crossover small SUVs begin next week through Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane showrooms.

Things move quickly in EV land, it seems.

But there’s not much awareness among the Australian buying public about these new Smarts, so this week we experienced the flagship showroom in Brisbane to learn more.

First of all, they’re not going to be sold through every Mercedes-Benz dealer. From 2003 until 2013 Australians bought Smarts this way, but slow take-up forced a move to online sales only after this.

The brand soldiered on until the curtain was brought down locally in 2015.

Back then the Daimler-owned brand sold the tiny and city-friendly ForTwo and the magnificent Smart Roadster – both small two-seat vehicles with a loyal fanbase.

The rebirth sees the brand as an EV-only joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely. The #1 and #3 (sorry, you must say ‘hashtag’ before the number) are German designed, but built in China in the same facility but on a different production line to other Geely products.

Geely owns and and manages numerous car brands, including Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and Zeekr.

Dealer group LSH Auto International is exclusively importing and selling Smarts in Australia.

LSH is a Hong Kong-headquartered international conglomerate, and the world’s largest Mercedes-Benz operation. It claims one-in-eight Mercedes-Benzes built are sold through its dealerships in 340 cities around the world.

Three of those are in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and for now, these are the only locations in Australia to buy a new Smart. There’s no affiliation with Mercedes-Benz Australia.

It’s an unconventional way of selling these Smarts, but at least backing is from a giant organisation that’s a “$27 billion a year business” according to an LSH Auto Australia spokesman.

LSH also says it is the world’s largest dealer for Smart automobiles, selling just over 10,000 models globally last year.

If you’re in other cities or states, things are more complicated. “The website very clearly indicates where the point of purchase is, and where to go to seek information,” an LSH spokesman said.

“In the states where (Smart dealerships) aren’t present, it’s a case of first re-establishing the brand solely as a new EV-only proposition in the premium segment, and then figuring out what the demand might be in other locations.

“We’d then make a decision as to what’s the best way to present the product in those locations, and if the demand is at a level that makes it sustainable.”

When asked how a potential purchaser from, say, Adelaide or Perth would go about buying a Smart, the spokesman said: “You could certainly make all the enquiries online and arrangements can be made.”

There’s certainly polish at Smart’s Brisbane showroom, which occupies a separate, large area at LSH’s grand waterfront Mercedes-Benz Brisbane site in Newstead.

It’s a spacious area hosting a selection of #1s and #3s in different colours and grades. There’s a separate area to show off the hot twin-motor Brabus #3.

Unlike the current trend for many EV-only brands to sell their cars through shopping centres and/or urban studios, there’s a pleasingly old-school familiarity to the Smart showroom.

Being inside Mercedes-Benz Brisbane’s impressive multi-storey facility brings a prestige air to the setup, although it must be noted Smart’s cafe has an automatic coffee machine, whereas the Benz area is blessed with its own barista. You Melbourne lot may care about this…

The Smart staff we encountered were well dressed (no black skinny jeans with black t-shirts here), polite and knowledgable – it appears a very slick operation.

There’s an area showing body and interior colour choices, plus the array of alloy wheels offered with each grade of Smart.

There’s even a Smart Idea area with colourful and youthful merchandise, including a branded skateboard to highlight urban cool.

Smart is pitching the #1 and #3 at higher prices than small SUV EV alternatives from the likes of MG, GWM and BYD, reflecting its prestige designs. The Mercedes-Benz affiliation helps reinforce this.

The #1 and #3 are available in three grades – Pro+, Premium and Brabus.

The first two use a single rear motor good for 200kW and 343Nm, while the hot Brabus versions are twin motor and all-wheel-drive, delivering 315kW and 543Nm and 0-100km/h time in 3.7-seconds (#1) or 3.9 seconds (#3).

The #1 starts from $54,900, with the mid-grade at $58,900 and Brabus $67,900.

The #3 is the pricier model, costing $57,900, $61,900 and $70,900 respectively. All prices are before on-roads.

A medium SUV called #5 has also been locked in for Australia, arriving in the second half of 2025.