You wait ages for a new electric Smart car… and then two come along at once.
Yes, the Mercedes-Benz-owned Smart brand has unveiled a new medium-sized SUV coupe, called the #3, just weeks after launching the compact #1 hatchback-SUV crossover.
Smart is experiencing something of a sea-change right now.
Up until recently, Smart offered a couple of funky electric cars - the two-seat ForTwo and the larger ForFour - which have their own unique charm but appeal to pretty niche audiences.
Now, however, Smart is shaping-up to take on the big guns with the launch of the #1 and #3 models.
The #1 (above) is set to arrive later this year, and it’ll boast a 66 kWh battery that’ll give it a range of up to 273 miles between charges as well as power of 272 PS. It also gets rapid 150 kW charging capabilities which will take the energy from 10-80% full in under 30 minutes.
This larger #3, on the other hand, will compete with all-electric cars like the Ford Explorer, Jeep Avenger, and the Volvo XC40 Recharge Electric.
It’s seen here in preliminary design form, but is expected to get its full debut next month.
And Smart emphasises the word ‘sporty’ when talking about the #1, so it could well get a decent amount of power.
Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer of Mercedes-Benz AG, says:
“This muscular, yet elegantly sensual and perfectly balanced attraction of opposites makes the design an important milestone in the evolution of smart’s premiumness. The design of the #3 is emotionally confident, attracting and even thrilling the viewer."
Design wise, lease customers will enjoy a ‘shark nose’ front end with wide grille, as well as a two-tone roof, ‘fastback’ silhouette, and large alloys.
So, these are exciting times for Smart.
And the car we really want to get behind the wheel of is the upcoming Brabus version of the Smart #1 (below) - because Mercedes-Benz has let its performance division unleash hell with it.
The Brabus #1 will get power of 428 PS, peak torque of 543 Nm, and a 0-62 mph acceleration time of just 3.9 seconds.
To put that into context, the Brabus #1 will actually be quicker than the mid-range Porsche Taycan 4S!
Watch this space for further updates.
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