During the next Munich Motor Show, to be held in September, Smart will present its first model developed with Geely technology (remember that in 2019 Daimler sold 50% of the brand to a Chinese group, which also owns Volvo and Lotus ). It will take the form of an electric B-SUV called to compete against the future MINI Paceman.
Known internally by the code HX11, this vehicle will go on sale in 2022 and will be produced exclusively in China for the entire world. While Mercedes-Benz will be responsible for its exterior design, the architecture chosen to support it will be Geely’s SEA platform, which will also be used in the future Volvo XC20 Recharge.
“It may come as a surprise to some: Smart will enter the SUV market [with a spacious yet compact all-electric] [model]. This will be the first vehicle in the joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely, due out in 2022 and manufactured in China,” Daniel Lescow, Smart’s vice president of global sales, recently wrote on Linkedin.
According to the information handled by the Chinese press, this 4-meter-long SUV will equip an engine of about 272 hp (200 kW) located on the rear axle. Also, unlike its brothers Fortwo and Forfour, it will not be focused on exclusively urban use, as it could have a 70 kWh battery capable of providing a range of more than 310 miles.
It is expected that shortly after the launch of this Smart model, it will also present the new generations of the fortwo mentioned above and forfour, which at first should not have anything to do from a technical point of view with the current models, which make use of the Edison platform developed by the Renault Group.
Both the refreshed fortwo and forfour and the new SUV (which could be called forfive) will be assembled in the Chinese city of Xi’an. Initially, no Smartphones will continue to be manufactured in Europe, as the low production costs achieved in China will allow the company to sell small vehicles profitably.