Last year, many were surprised when Daimler announced that its Smart branded cars will be engineered by Geely. A year later, the first product of that new joint-venture, officially called Smart Automobile Co., Ltd., has been teased.
In a black-and-white post, Geely has confirmed that the first Smart car developed by the tie-up with Mercedes-Benz’s parent company is an all-electric crossover which will go into production in 2022. It will be produced in China.
Unlike previous Smart cars, the all-electric crossover is bigger, growing to more than 4 meters long. This makes it around one and a half times longer than the Smart ForTwo, and almost as long as Mercedes-Benz’s compact all-electric SUV, the EQA.
The new Smart SUV will use Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture which will also underpin cars from Geely-owned Volvo Cars and Lynk & Co. This allows it to gain even more interior room than the EQA thanks to a “better length-to-interior ratio.” It could also offer up to 700 kilometers in range, and quick charging times thanks to 800-volt technology.
The Smart SUV is expected to be unveiled at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show in September and marks Smart’s transition from a niche player into a mainstream brand specializing in the compact segment.
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