[blackwasp]

Daimler and Geely have announced a new joint venture (JV) for Smart. As part of the JV, each of the two companies will hold an equal stake and manufacture all-electric Smart cars in China.

One of the key reasons for moving the production of Smart to China is that the country has more electric vehicles than all the other countries in the world combined. China also has over 100 cities with populations of more than 1 million, where the Smart is expected to be sold.



The JV will make cars in China and sell them in other countries as well. Global sales are scheduled to begin in 2022. Future Smart cars will also offer a ride-sharing service, 5G connectivity, package delivery to the boot as well as a ride-hailing service.

The existing line-up of Smart cars will continue till the end of its life cycle. The facelift models are expected to arrive this year while the Hambach, France production plant will start producing all-electric Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Existing employees will either work in the JV or get absorbed in other group companies.

Smart was first introduced in 1997 as an answer to urbanization. In 2002, it was offering connected car services to its owners via personal digital assistants (PDA).



Link to the Team-BHP News

[Venkatesh]

Smart has released preview images of its upcoming electric SUV before the car's full reveal at the Munich motor show in September.







The new machine will be the first product from Smart since the brand became a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely.

The new five-seater is expected to be Smart’s largest model to date, at around four metres in length, and similar in size to the Mini Countryman. It will be built using Geely’s flexible SEA architecture, which will also underpin a range of future Volvo models.

Chinese reports have suggested the car will be fitted 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).

Source

[Venkatesh]

Smart has released new teaser images of the concept that will preview its upcoming electric SUV at the forthcoming Munich motor show.

Dubbed the Concept #1, the new machine will be the first product from Smart since the brand became a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Chinese firm Geely.

The new five-door model is known by the codename HX11 and will be built in China.

Chinese reports have suggested the car will be fitted 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).

Source

[Venkatesh]

Smart begins new era with premium electric compact SUV, co-owner Geely has shown the Concept #1 at the Munich motor show.



Measuring 4290mm long, 1910mm wide and 1698mm tall, it’s a close match in size terms for parent company Mercedes-Benz’s EQA electric crossover.



Future Smarts will be engineered by Geely in China, and designed by Mercedes.



Smart says that the wheels being pushed out to the very corners of the car and the 2750mm wheelbase allow for an extremely spacious interior, which will gain a fifth seat for production.



Technical details remain under wraps, but future Smart models will sit on a Geely-developed bespoke EV platform that promises the highest level of dynamic handling and passive safety.



The SUV should arrive in production form in Europe and China by 2023.

Source

[Venkatesh]

New Smart officially named the #1 electric crossover confirmed for 2022 launch.

Shown in its production body in official testing images.

The testing programme has revealed that the #1 has a drag coefficient of 0.29Cd, which Smart says is "a top-ranked achievement" in its segment.

Source

[volkman10]

The smart brand today is a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz’s parent company Daimler and Proton’s parent company Geely.
Like the smart #1, the new smart #3 will be built on Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) electric car platform.

Homologation documents from China reveals that the smart #3 measures 4,440 mm long, 1,800 mm wide and 1,600 mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,785 mm. As a comparison, the smart #1 measures 4,270 mm long, 1,822 mm wide and 1,636 mm tall, with a 2,750 mm wheelbase.

The documentation also refers to two output options, a 268 hp version that’s likely to be the same one used in the non-Brabus smart #1, as well as a baseline 154 hp version for those who don’t have much of a need for speed and prefer a more entry-level price tag.

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