Smart EVs 2025: New compact electric SUV from Smart
The first Smart EVs SUV comes to life. This is the smart concept #1, a near-production concept that takes the smart brand into the compact vehicle segment. Let’s take a look at what promises to be a turnaround specialist for Mercedes & Geely’s urban mobility brand.
Intelligent Electric Vehicles
Smart is expanding its range with a new electric SUV. The car, pictured here as an artist’s impression based on official design sketches, will debut at the Munich Motor Show this fall ahead of production in , including the EQ ForTwo and EQ ForFour.
Draft
While smart is a specialist in city cars, the smart electric SUV measures between a supermini and a family hatchback. It would compete with the upcoming Mini Countryman Electric. In the concept #1 we see a whole new design DNA for the smart brand. Apart from the extremely short overhangs and the wheels pushed into the corners, we can hardly call this car a smart car . Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer, Daimler Group, says it is “a redefinition of the smart brand”. The smart concept #1 mixes fun size and funky looks with the SUV body style. At the front, it has a low and rounded hood, curvy and mean-eyed headlights and a concave faux grille.
The clean and smooth body without any interrupting character lines highlights the simplicity and eco-friendliness of the electric SUV. The absence of B-pillars reinforces this feeling. The rear doors are rear-hinged, making entry and exit very easy for rear passengers. The sleek rectangular mirrors also look very attractive.
A sophisticated roof design is completed with gold paint on the edges. The panoramic glass roof features gold capsule-shaped rings in different sizes, which make the regular SUV look just as luxurious as the gold paint on the edges. On the other hand, the white body color reflects the simplicity and restrained character of the drive technology of electric cars . At the rear, the taillights with rounded outer ends are reminiscent of the Mercedes EQS .
Inner
The interior of the smart electric SUV consists of features such as a large panoramic sunroof, a rounded dashboard, capsule-shaped central air conditioning vents, a round steering with a flattened bottom, a bridge-like center console and a free-standing 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
The smart electric SUV will be the brand’s largest model. The concept offers space for four passengers, but the production version will be a five-seater.
platform
The smart electric SUV is based on Geely SEA’s dedicated EV platform. Daniel Lescow, Vice President of Global Sales, Marketing & After-Sales, smart, describes it (via LinkedIn) as “super compact on the outside and big on the inside.” Mercedes-Benz will provide the design and support in the development of the smart electric SUV and future smart models. Announced in , the SEA can cover various applications, including vehicles from the A-segment, D- and E-segment to light commercial vehicles. Front, rear and all-wheel drive variants with single, dual or triple motor configuration.
The SEA is an open-source platform, and Geely said it is in talks with B2B and B2C customers, apart from plans to use it across brands (Geely owns Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Proton, Lynk & Co, Zeekr and London Electric Vehicle Company, and is a major shareholder in Daimler). The SEA uses an 800-volt high-speed charging system that can recharge 120 kilometers (74.5 miles) of range in under 5 minutes. The first electric vehicle based on the SEA platform is the Zeekr 001.
The smart electric SUV would be about space and value for money rather than making headlines with acceleration or torque. The urban SUV is better suited to take advantage of the cost benefits of the SEA platform than its high-end performance and large battery packs.
Dimensions & Range
The smart electric SUV concept measures 4,290 mm (168.9 inches) in length, 1,910 mm (75.2 inches) in width and 1,968 mm (77.5 inches) in height and has a 2,750 mm long wheelbase. Compared to the MINI Countryman, the length is 7 mm shorter, but the wheelbase is 80 mm longer. Kai Sieber, Head of Design, smart, said (via Twitter/GregKable) that the body will be the same as the production version, so expect similar dimensions in the actual vehicle.
According to a report from jesmb.de, the smart electric SUV will employ a 200 PS (197 hp) asynchronous motor that will power only the rear wheels. There will be two battery pack options, with the extended-range unit having a capacity of over 60 kWh. Both battery packs will be made of lithium-ion cells manufactured by CATL, and there are no plans to offer a cheaper and more durable LFP option. The maximum WLTP range will be around 430 km (267 miles), the report suggests. This is quite different from what Chinese reports claim, a single motor with 268 hp for the rear wheels and a range of 500 km / 311 miles (NEDC).
Fast charging the smart electric SUV’s batteries from 5-80% SoC takes less than 30 minutes. A Brabus variant with more power and AWD powertrain layout, presumably with two motors, is expected to follow in , says JESMB. Note that neither Brabus nor Smart have offered guidance on future plans.
Safety devices
According to Lescow, the company is aiming for a 5-star rating in Euro NCAP. The smart electric SUV will be equipped with several driver assistance systems, including a parking assistant, an evasive steering assistant, a highway assistant and a hard shoulder assistant. According to the report from jesmb.de, the infotainment system, not a Mercedes-Benz MBUX device, will come from the Geely subsidiary ECARX.
Other expected features of the smart SUV include OTA updating, smart key and voice control. In the concept version, it is possible to update more than 75% of all control units remotely.
Price Smart EVs
Geely’s platform and Chinese production would allow Daimler to comfortably position the smart electric SUV in a cheaper price range than the Mercedes EQA. For comparison: In Germany, the EQA , currently Daimler’s smallest electric SUV, starts at 47,540.50 euros or around 56,110 US dollars. Daimler could set the base price of the Smart electric SUV at around 35,000 euros (41,309 USD) to stay away from the Mercedes model.
