Mercedes-Benz and its Chinese partner Geely plan to reveal a concept version of the upcoming Smart electric SUV at the Munich motor show in September.
The new five-door model, known under the internal codename HX11, is the first model to be jointly developed by Mercedes and Geely, which each own a 50% stake in the urban EV brand, now based in the Chinese city of Hangzhou. It's planned to go on sale in 2022.
Details remain under wraps, but a posting on Linkedin by Daniel Lescow, Smart's vice-president of global sales, confirmed the existence of plans for the SUV, which will be based on Geely’s new SEA electric car architecture.
Lescow wrote: "It may come as a surprise to some: Smart will enter the market with a fully electric SUV - spacious yet compact. This will be the first vehicle of the joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely, due out in 2022, built in China."
Comparable in size to the Mini Countryman, the new five-seater is expected to be Smart’s largest model to date, at around four metres in length.
Reports out of China suggest it will be equipped with a rear-mounted electric motor with a maximum power of 268bhp, a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of less than 70kWh and a range on the Chinese NEDC test cycle of more than 500km (311 miles).
Under the terms of their joint venture agreement, Mercedes is responsible for the design of the new model, while Geely takes the lead in development and production.
Autocar understands the Smart SUV will be produced alongside successor models to the existing EQ Fortwo and EQ Forfour at a factory in the Chinese city of Xi’an.
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Flip the grill upside down and it looks like an audi, as pretty much everything is a variation on now anyway. How it is there it's the same as a transit. It's already dated.
Sorry to think this , but, yes, this could be the shape of personal transport in the future, imagine all the things we doubt about Ev's is sorted, so, like I've said, transport becomes as interesting as your Fridge in the Kitchen, doesn't matter that much what it looks like, as long as it works,and when it's time for a new one, you just look online, pick from the six, eight, maybe ten car suppliers, and get it delivered, and, hopefully , like the Fridge, it does its thing, getting you from A to B, so, this, or something like might be the future.
Lets hope the actual model is rather more distinctive and 'Smart-like' than this. And a bit smaller.