Discover, thanks to the various leaks in recent months, what Smart’s electric SUV, prefigured by Concept # 1, will look like. The design of the latter will be largely adopted on the production version. This competitor of the Mini Countryman will be based on a platform of the Chinese group Geely.
Since the presentation of the Smart Concept # 1 at the Munich Motor Show last September, the leak of patents and “stolen” photos of a camouflaged prototype in China have largely allowed us to guess what the manufacturer’s first SUV will look like and differ from this one. style study. We can now have a clear idea of what to expect.
The Smart SUV from concept to reality
At first glance, little will distinguish this exclusively electric crossover from the concept car. Looking more closely, we will notice some notable developments. The front lights and mirrors will be larger, the front bumper will have received additional air intakes, and the doors with flush handles will open in the classic way on either side of the central pillars. The black body guards and roof bars, characteristic of SUVs, will be retained. In the interior bathed in light thanks to the side windows extended towards the rear, we should find the layout of Concept # 1 and in particular a central horizontal touch screen containing almost all the controls and information.
TO READ. Smart SUV (2023). Start of tests for the electric crossover
A new start for Smart
Smart is now a joint venture equally managed by the German group Daimler, which is responsible for the design, and the Chinese Geely responsible for engineering. The Smart SUV will be based on the latter’s new modular platform, called SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture), which will also be used by Volvo among others. This “skateboard” architecture (flat battery under the floor, motors on the axles) is designed to accommodate accumulators with a maximum capacity of 110 kWh displaying a voltage of 800 V, enough to provide a range of 700 km, and motors. delivering up to 646 hp aided by a two-speed transmission.
Obviously, Smart’s small SUV will have much more modest features. Its technical sheet remains to be known, which should be the case when it is presented in the second half of 2022 with a view to being put into production in early 2023 in China. Nearly 4.30 m long, it will compete with the future electric Mini Countryman and the Mazda MX-30 in the segment of “zero emission” urban SUVs.
Drawing : motor.es
