Smart presents the SUV coupé #3
Smart has presented the complete design of its second electric model since its revamp. The Smart #3 is an all-electric SUV coupé that will hit the first European markets by the end of this year.
As a coupé offshoot of the Smart #1, the new model’s design is hardly surprising – up to the B-pillar, the two electric Smarts are very similar. Still, with its gently curved and sloping roofline, the #3 looks more pleasing than Smart’s first statement car. Its proportions resemble a conventional compact car more closely, whereas the #1, with its more angular rear end and a steep rear window for more cargo space, stood out from the crowd.
There are still some differences, however. The Smart #3 is 4.40 metres long (i.e. 13 centimetres longer than the #1) but only 1.55 metres high instead of 1.63 metres. In addition, the wheelbase is said to be slightly longer at 2.785 metres instead of 2.75 metres.
Smart still has not published official technical data. However, the application for registration of the model in China last autumn provided the first clues about the technology. According to the application, there will be a single-drive version with 200 kW and a four-wheel-drive model with 315 kW, just like the #1. According to the document, Weirui Electric Auto Technology will supply the motors. The NMC batteries are to come from the suppliers CALB and Sunwoda, but nothing is known about their size yet. As is well known, #1 has 66 kWh.
According to the announcement, the #3 is still “in the EU homologation process”, which Smart expects to complete in the second half of 2023, so there is no official data yet, especially on the WLTP range.
But it shouldn’t drag on too deep into the second half of the year: Smart wants to present the new model to the European public at the IAA in September, and the market launch should then take place at the end of the year “in the first European markets” – presumably also in Germany. Smart will, therefore, only announce further details about the #3 for the European market at a later date.
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