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Urban mobility automaker smart shared its vision for a sustainable future with the public at IAA Mobility in Munich by announcing its Concept # 1 SUV. The All-Electric Concept # 1 is a “forerunner” of smart’s electrified future and represents many of the design elements and techniques that drivers can expect to see in future models.
Smart Automobile Co. Ltd. is a German car manufacturer founded in the 90s, known for its “cute” and compact cars, perfect for crowded city centers. The brand of Daimler AG (fka Daimler-Benz) serves nearly 50 automotive markets around the world.
In 2019, Daimler AG announced a joint venture with Geely Holding Group to also produce connected cars in China. In the same year, smart began a drastic transition to electrification by moving from combustion engines to electric powertrains only.
Together, Equal Automotive Partners strive to make smart a leading global supplier of premium BEVs connected to Geely’s global engineering network, available in dozens of markets.
This week in Munich, smart shared a preview of its next generation of electric vehicles with a new SUV slated for series production.
smart presents its Concept # 1 electric SUV at IAA Mobility
In a press release from smart Automobile, the compact automaker shared details of an electric SUV shown at the IAA Mobility show in Munich. The Concept # 1 is an all-electric SUV described as “close to production” that represents the next generation of upcoming intelligent electric vehicles from Daimler and Geely.
According to the statement, Daimler will handle the exterior and interior design of these vehicles through the Mercedes-Benz global design network. Meanwhile, its partner Geely will take care of the overall development of this next generation of intelligent vehicles through its global engineering network. Daniel Lescow, vice president of global sales, marketing and aftermarket of smart Automobile Co, Ltd, spoke about the Concept SUV # 1:
We are celebrating a milestone with smart Concept # 1, which is the forerunner of the next generation of smart. The near-production study is an exciting taste of what our customers can expect from the smart brand. The new smart Concept # 1 is the first glimpse of our vision of new and sustainable mobility. It is characterized by progressive design, high-end equipment and advanced technology.
Concept # 1 features a large panoramic glass roof with a ring of light with frameless ‘suicide’ style doors that open in opposite directions. Another unique feature is its concealed door handles which become visible through light elements.
The electric SUV is also designed without a “B-pillar”, so that when the doors are open there is an unobstructed view of the entire vehicle. To create an immersive experience, the Concept # 1 SUV was designed with unique light and sound elements, moving harmoniously to the beat of music throughout the interior.
Although it features an SUV-style body (especially compared to other smart offerings), the Concept # 1 is quite compact. Its wheelbase is approximately 108 inches, and its dimensions are as follows:
- Length: 4,290 mm (~ 169 inches)
- Width: 1,910 mm (~ 75 inches)
- Height: 1698 mm (~ 67 inches)
While the exterior is quite small on paper compared to other EVs labeled as SUVs, its lack of a B-pillar and panoramic glass keeps the interior quite spacious.
While we don’t yet know the range and battery capacity of this smart SUV if and when it goes into mass production, the automaker has already shared plans for advanced software features. Smart briefly touched on the long battery life, fast charging capabilities, and cloud-based OTA (over-the-air) updates for vehicle software.
We don’t yet know (if or) when Concept # 1 will reach mass production or which smart will name this new SUV that it calls its “precursor”. Still, the vehicle represents an all-electric future for the smart brand, which is getting bigger and bolder compared to its previous compacts.
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