Smart will soon no longer be the brand as you have known it for over twenty years. The brand will soon be introducing a fully electric SUV, a car that debuted in concept form at the IAA in Munich in September and of which AutoWeek can already show you the production version!
During the IAA in Munich, Smart showed the Concept #1, a study model with which the brand gave a clear signal. ‘There will be an electric SUV from Smart’. The fact that the Concept #1 was not too crazy designed already suggested that a production version would follow in the short term. AutoWeek has surfaced the patent drawings of the final production version of the Concept #1, indicating that Smart’s electric SUV may be coming sooner than you expected.
Smart’s electric SUV.
The Concept #1-derived SUV in these images is very similar to that show car, but very different from it. For example, the as yet unnamed electric Smart is fitted on these patent plates with production-ready bumpers, copies in which cooling openings and even a partially open grille have been placed. The headlamps are slightly different in shape and appear to be only optically connected by a strip on the production version.
Smart’s electric SUV
Where the Concept #1 had to do without visible door handles, Smart gives the production version of its electric SUV recessed handles in the doors. The plastic decoration around the sills is slightly different in shape and that also applies to the design of the roof rails. The window styles are a lot thicker and at the rear left we see a larger tailgate than the copy that sat on the conceptual predecessor of the car. The exterior mirrors of the Smart in these photos also look a lot more conventional than those of the concept car shown in September this year.
Smart Concept #1
Just like the headlights of the electric SUV from Smart visible on these patent plates, the rear lights are also slightly different in shape. In addition, we see a third brake light at the top of the rear window and a slightly toned down version of the bumper of the Concept #1 at the bottom of the rear. It is also striking that the tailgate seems to run a little further down.
We expect that the dimensions of Smart’s first electric SUV will not differ much from Concept #1. With its length of 4.29 meters, that show car was slightly longer than, for example, the Renault Captur (4.29 meters). The wheelbase of the Concept #1 was 2.75 meters, unprecedented for a Smart. You can almost park a Fortwo in between.
The new Smart models will soon all be produced in China. Since 2019, Smart has been half owned by Geely and together with that Chinese colossus, Daimler (soon to be Mercedes-Benz Group) is working on a new future for the brand. The technology of the upcoming Smart newcomers, all electric models, comes from Geely, while Daimler is responsible for the design of the cars.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl