Smart's biggest model yet is a five-seat electric SUV to rival the Audi Q3BMW X1 rival will be previewed as a rugged concept in Beijing next week; tiny #2 will replace ForTwo soon after
Smart has confirmed it will preview its largest and most spacious model to date, an electric SUV called the #5, at next week’s 2024 Beijing motor show.
The new model, described as moving “far beyond the urban boundaries” of original Smart models, will be unveiled in concept form prior to a start to production in China later this year and planned UK sales in 2025.
The third Smart car to be jointly developed by the brand’s majority shareholders Geely and Mercedes-Benz will join the recently introduced Smart #1 and Smart #3. A fourth new model, a successor to the two-seat ForTwo called the #2 is, set to appear in 2025.
At well over four metres in length, the new Smart #5 SUV has been conceived to directly rival the Mini Countryman, BMW X1 and Volvo XC40.
Sketches reveal it will take on a distinctly more upright shape than the #1 and #3, with a bluff front end, cladded wheelarches, long rear doors and a near-vertical tailgate housing a wraparound light bar. Notably, the overhangs are kept to a minimum in a bid to provide maximum interior space.
The concept in Beijing will ramp up the rugged elements with off-road styling flourishes, including a roof-mounted storage compartment with LED lights, a shovel, inflatable chairs and a snowboard.
It is based on the same platform as the #1 and #3. Engineered jointly by Sweden-based China Euro Vehicle Technology (CEVT) and its parent company Geely, the Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA), already underpins a diverse range of Geely-brand models, including the Volvo EX30 and its sister model, the Zeekr X.
Among the developments tipped to feature on the #5 is an 800-volt electric architecture. Up to now, all electric-powered Smart models have received a 400-volt system. It is also planned to offer the choice between single-motor rear- and dual-motor four-wheel drive, as well as batteries with differing energy content.
As with its smaller siblings, buyers will get to choose between standard and more powerful Brabus-enhanced performance #5 models - the latter aimed at challenging the Mini Countryman John Cooper Works (JCW).
