Smart Concept #1 EV headed for production, but not Australia

September 7, 2021September 7, 2021 John Carey 3932 Views smart

Smart’s Concept #1 show car for the 2021 Munich IAA motor show previews a new urban SUV from the nowadays EV-only brand.

The production version of the Concept #1 to be revealed in 2022 will be the first of a family that will grow to include other small and compact EVs. The company first confirmed it was building a Smart compact SUV earlier this year.

Smart, now owned jointly by Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and Chinese car maker Geely (which owns Volvo and Polestar), has ambitions to break out of its restrictive microcar market niche. It needs to make larger cars with global appeal for the expansion plan to work.

The Smart Concept #1 electric SUV will lead to a production car from the brand now owned 50-50 by Daimler and Geely

“We will bring Smart to new markets,” promised company chief Britta Seeger at the Smart Concept #1 reveal in Munich.

Though the show car indicates serious intent, there’s no immediate plan to reverse the 2015 decision to withdraw Smart from the Australian market.

“At this stage there is nothing new to announce about the Smart brand in Australia,” said Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman Ryan Lewis, while not ruling out changes to that in future.

The Concept #1 may be a show car, but much of it is production-approved. This includes the core body structure and some of the interior components, according to Smart design chief Kai Sieber.

There’s one big difference between the concept and production versions, he says. The concept was given butterfly doors to show off its spacious, flat-floored interior, but the production version will have conventional doors. Otherwise, little will change in the translation from show star to assembly line.

Based on platform developed by Geely, best known for its ownership of Volvo, the Smart SUV will be produced in China. And it’ll be manufactured in right-hand drive form. It’s built on the Geely-engineered SEA (for Sustainable Experience Architecture) EV platform, which is also used by Lynk & Co and Zeekr, two other brands within the Geely empire.

Smart is aiming for a WLTP-rated driving range of around 430km. It’s believed the vehicle will be produced in single-motor rear-drive and dual-motor all-wheel-drive forms.

At a little over four metres long, the Smart SUV is around the same size as a small hatchback like the Volkswagen Golf. But its relatively long 2750mm wheelbase pushes the wheels to the corners, creating interior space to rival a medium-size car.

John Carey

Grew up in country NSW, way back when petrol was laced with lead. Has written about cars and the car business for more than 35 years, working full-time and freelance for leading mags, major newspapers and websites in Australia and (sometimes) overseas. Avidly interested in core EV technologies like motors and batteries, and believes the switch to electromobility definitely should be encouraged. Is waiting patiently for someone to make a good and affordable EV that will fit inside his tiny underground garage in northern Italy, where he's lived for the past decade. Likes the BMW i3, but it's just too damned wide...