Malaysians recently got to experience the launch of the smart #1 and we had the opportunity to test out both the Premium and Brabus trims. Now, smart is releasing thorough details about the European smart #3 SUV and introducing a new special edition model with standout and exclusive features in advance of IAA Mobility 2023 in Munich.
We now have the specifications for the Smart #3 SUV. The more powerful Smart #3 Brabus has a fearsome 422hp thanks to two electric motors, one on each axle. The standard model has 268hp produced by a single electric motor. The standard Smart #3 sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in only 5.8 seconds, while the Brabus model completes the same task in just 3.7 seconds.
smart Malaysia has provided a unique behind-the-scenes experience of the highly anticipated smart #1 at its headquaters in Subang Jaya recently.
smart’s first production model in the family of its all-electric vehicles (EVs), the smart #1, was on display at the two-day event. EV aficionados who had been anxiously anticipating this day were the target audience for this event, which was designed to satisfy their enthusiasm and expectation.
Edaran Otomobil Nasional Berhad (EON), the automotive retail division of DRB-HICOM, has been named an official smart Malaysia dealer by Proton New Energy Technology Sdn Bhd (PRO-NET).
Following a signing ceremony with Hap Seng Smart earlier this month and the addition of EON to the smart Malaysia stable, PRO-NET has now hired five additional dealerships. Five more dealership appointments will be made public in the near future.
Malaysia will be among the first Asian markets (outside China) to get the smart #1 later in the year when PRO-NET starts selling it. The #1 is just the first of a range of models from smart – a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely. Next in line will be the #3 which has been presented for the first time at Auto Shanghai 2023 today.
Where the #1 is a SUV, the #3 is a SUV coupe, a sleeker derivative for those who prefer a sportier image. Mercedes-Benz Design has the responsibility for the exterior and interior of the smart models, while Geely provides the Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) modular platform engineered specifically for EVs.
The smart brand was once in Malaysia, around 20 years ago, when DaimlerChrysler Malaysia (now Mercedes-Benz Malaysia) marketed it, but it was poorly received. Though its small size – which could only take two – was appreciated in European cities, it was too small for Malaysians who could get more seats and more space – for less money.
So smart faded away from the market and a decade later, declining sales in other markets also saw Mercedes-Benz, which owned the company, rethink its strategy for the brand. With the auto industry rushing towards electrification, it was logical for smart to also go in that direction. In fact, it had already started electrification earlier but needed a new generation of models developed from scratch as electric vehicles (EVs).
This led the German carmaker to team up with the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in a new joint venture company which would use the smart brand, which still retained its trendiness. It looked like a smart (no pun intended) move as Mercedes-Benz would offer the design expertise while Geely would provide its Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) modular platform engineered specifically for EVs. Thus smart gained a ‘second wind’ and has been quick to roll out its first product, the smart #1.
A year after beginning a new model era with the smart #1, smart has now released preliminary design details of its next model, a SUV coupe which will be called smart #3. Like the smart #1, this new model has also been designed by Mercedes-Benz Design, the German carmaker being a partner in the company together with Geely.
To be displayed at Auto Shanghai 2023 next month, the smart #3 (hashtag 3) has another interpretation of the brand’s visual identity, this one being even sportier. The exterior form is defined by athletic curves and shaped by organically connected lines like the smart #1.
The smart brand is among the younger automotive brands in the world, with its original concept of a compact city car having been conceived in the early 1990s. And it wasn’t just a basic car with compact dimensions; the brainchild of Nicolas Hayek, the man who created the Swatch watch, it was to be cheap, trendy and practical for almost anyone – like the watches.
Hayek believed there was a market for such a car, especially with the congestion in cities. But he also realised that he knew a lot about making watches… but little about making cars. So he knocked on the doors of Renault and VW, but they were not interested. Little did he know then that Mercedes-Benz had noticed his idea in 1993 and it matched their idea of a city car which they had been exploring for many years.
Following the signing of its General Distributorship Agreement (GDA) with smart last month, Proton has established a new subsidiary company to handle sales and distributorship for the smart vehicles which are available only with battery electric powertrains.
The new company, known as Proton New Energy Technology Sdn. Bhd. (PRO-NET), will also be responsible for Proton’s own future new energy vehicle (NEV) offerings. ‘NEV’ is a term which originated in China around 2010 and refers to vehicles which are electrified (including plug-in hybrids). The category was created to facilitate the provision of incentives to boost development and sales of electrified vehicles.
The new smart #1 battery electric vehicle that will go on sale in Malaysia next year.(more…)
Proton will begin selling its first electric vehicle (EV) from Q4 of 2023 via its marketing arm, Proton Edar, which has been appointed as the importer, distributor, and dealer for smart New Energy Vehicles (NEV). Besides the Malaysian market, Proton Edar will also be handling the brand in Thailand (from 2024).
The EV is the newsmart #1 (referred to as ‘hashtag 1’) which was launched in April this year. The smart #1 is the first product of a joint venture company, smart Automobile Company Ltd. which was established by Mercedes-Benz AG and the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in 2019. It is a ‘descendant’ of the original smart company which started in the 1990s as a low-cost concept of Nicolas Hayek, creator of the Smart watches.
The EV will not be in Proton showrooms and there will be separate outlets dedicated to the brand. Expect a different, more digital environment at these outlets as they will be modelled along the same concept as smart outlets in other markets. Whether aftersales support will be shared with Proton or be separate is something being studied at the moment although it may be better to have dedicated facilities. Just because EVs are electric vehicles doesn’t mean that the ‘wireman’ at the workshop will be qualified to handle them!
As the brand image is youthful and ‘lifestyle’, the smart #1 is targeted at younger customers. However, the smart #1 is a premium product and its price would therefore be unlikely to be under RM150,000 with the present tax exemptions. This would make it difficult for young customers in Malaysia to afford but according to Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton Edar and Deputy CEO of Proton Holdings Berhad, there is a segment of young and affluent customers whom the company expects will be interested in such a product.
The marketing of smart EVs is seen as the first phase of collaboration between Proton and smart and could possibly see other ventures. The company will also be looking at EV models for other segments, although these could come from other brands in the Geely group (eg Emgrand and Zeekr). This is one of the advantages Proton has by being part of such a large group as it has access to models and technology which can be adapted for its products.
Certainly, it will provide Proton with useful experience and insights into selling and servicing EVs to Malaysians in preparation for its own electrified products in future. In fact, the carmaker has already established a New Energy Vehicle division to look into all aspects of the future business.
Well aware of the issue of ‘range anxiety’ and access to recharging facilities, Proton Edar will also be looking at ways to develop its own recharging network as well as public facilities. Additionally, there is also the possibility of a mobile recharging service which could be offered in rural areas where the recharging network might not cover adequately.
Initially, the annual volume is expected to be 800 to 1,000 units in Malaysia, with a forecast of 10,000 units by 2027. Bookings might be accepted from May next year as the first shipment of cars is expected during the second quarter.
Though seemingly a good idea at the start in the 1990s, the original low-cost concept of Nicolas Hayek, creator of the Smart watches, never worked once Mercedes-Benz took over. The engineering costs bumped up the price and it became a niche product that had difficulty meeting ambitious sales targets.
After trying various approaches in the USA, a market it hoped would take to the little car, Mercedes-Benz ended sales there in 2019. It continued to sell the car in Europe and then Geely came into the picture to form a joint-venture and the brand gained a ‘second wind’.
Very quickly, a brand new product was developed with the involvement of Mercedes-Benz design teams who used the Geely’s SEA architecture dedicated to electric vehicles. By 2020, a concept car called the Concept #1 was revealed and this week, the production model has been presented to the world.
smart concept #1
This isn’t smart’s first EV as the brand went fully electric after 2019 but it is an entirely new product, simply called smart #1. While the crossover has blurred the lines between a hatchback and SUV, the smart #1 is presented as a SUV with an overall length of 4270 mm and a width of 1822 mm with a wheelbase that is 2750 mm. That makes it larger than the Proton Iriz and almost the same length as a Saga.
Although there have been smart concept cars that proposed a SUV design, the brand has never sold one so this would be its first SUV. It is, however, considered a city car as well because of its proportions although its weight of 1,820 kgs is certainly much more than city cars of the same size.
The weight largely comes from the NCM (nickel-cobalt-manganese) battery pack which also uses lithium-ion chemistries to store electricity up to a maximum capacity of 66 kWh. The charging system can accept fast-charging up to 150 kW and if that is used, charging time can be 30 minutes (from 10% to 80%), it is claimed. With a more common 22 kW supply, the time needed would be around 3 hours.
The battery pack powers a single rear-mounted electric motor with an output of 200 kW (272 ps) and maximum torque of 343 Nm, available almost from the moment the car moves off. The top speed is claimed to be 180 km/h, pretty fast for a car in this class.
The styling of the #1 is pretty much like that of the concept car with Matrix LEDs under the triangular shapes of each headlight. The headlights form a unique visual signature at the front which stretches right across, and the same feature is also present at the back.
To remove that tiny bit of drag-inducing turbulence that door handles cause, those on the #1 are flush when the car is on the move, extending only when needed to open the doors. It’s a feature usually found in higher-end cars, reflecting the premium positioning of the #1.
Thanks to a high footprint-to-space ratio with the long wheelbase, the interior is more spacious than would be expected with the compact exterior. The floating centre console provides better space efficiency with a reduction of elements creating a more open environment. To enhance this sense of spaciousness is a panoramic halo glass roof, one of the features on the concept car. The rear seats have a variable position over 13 cm and behind them is a variable boot space.
As with many of the latest cars, the displays are digi-graphic with a 9.2-inch panel in front of the driver (supplemented by a head-up display), and a 12.8-inch touchscreen on the dashboard. The ambient lighting can be customized with mix of 64 colours and 20 illumination levels, setting just the right mood for a drive.
The premium audio system has Beats high-end sound technology and consists of an amplifier module and 13 speakers (including a sub-woofer). The driver can enable digital key sharing through the smart app which also allows for remote engine starting.
There will be a ‘Launch Edition’ of the car with exclusive trim. Production will be at a joint-venture factory in China, starting in the second half of 2022. Exports are expected to start towards the end of the year so Proton Edar, which has been appointed distributor for Malaysia and Thailand, should be launching the car in early 2023. As it is a joint development between Geely and Mercedes-Benz, it is unlikely that it will become a Proton-badged model but by selling it, Proton would gain insights and experience into EVs which it will be producing and selling towards the end of this decade.
