SMART-GEELY

The brand's first SUV will be Chinese

Smart's future is hopelessly focused on China. The reason is Geely's entry on the scene. Recalling that this Chinese auto giant acquired 50% of Smart's shares after reaching an agreement with Daimler. Now, although he does not have full control of the company, he can influence his script. And it was clear the role that the Asian giant will play in all this.
Smart's economic viability is guaranteed for the coming years thanks to this agreement. Daimler and Geely created a joint venture to control all issues related to the Smart brand. A company in which 700 million euros were invested. Now, this investment involves a series of decisions.
The first major change was the transfer of Smart's headquarters to Hangzhou (China). In Europe, a particular dismantling of the company is taking place. Daimler is determined to get rid of its factory located in Hambach (France). A production center that is currently dedicated exclusively to the manufacture of Smart brand models. If all goes well, Ineos will keep this factory.
In 2022, the new generation of Smart electric cars will enter the scene, vehicles that will be marketed globally. These new models will be produced in China and will be supported by a platform for electric vehicles. Smart's focus on electrification will not change and will continue to strive to become a benchmark for electric and urban mobility.
At this moment Smart is exclusively present in segment A with ForTwo, ForTwo Cabrio and ForFour. The company has no plans to abandon this segment. However, in this new stage the manufacturer will be much more ambitious and has decided to put a higher category at its target. Smart wants to enter the B segment. No doubt it will be a very risky bet that will mark the company's future.
Regarding the vehicles of this new generation that will be marketed by Smart, they may be conventional SUVs or two-seater vehicles, but there is a great news about this. Smart will also bet on crossovers.
One of the big surprises Smart is working on thanks to the support offered by Chinese Geely, is the development of a small SUV. A fully electric subcompact vehicle designed to play an active role in urban mobility.
Mercedes-Benz will also play an important role in this ambitious project. They will be in charge of carrying out the design while Geely will be in charge of development. The launch of this SUV will mean the starting shot for Smart's product offensive from 2022 onwards. Unlike what happens with current models, this SUV will be supported by a specific platform for electric vehicles.
The use of a dedicated architecture will make things a lot easier both in terms of development and production. Regarding the design, it will have a modern and flashy appearance, exhibiting the characteristics of an SUV, with plastic protections that protect the lower part of the body, in general we will be facing an urban model.
As for the mechanics, we recently learned that, if applicable, Smart may have access to Volvo technology. Once again, Geely will be decisive in this regard, since it is the owner of the Swedish brand. The use of the mentioned platform will allow to accommodate larger battery packs and, therefore, offer much more attractive autonomies.
The most autonomous Smart electric car that we can find on the market today is the ForTwo, which approves only 133 kilometers according to the WLTP cycle. It is a really short figure and, therefore, this problem must be solved with the arrival of the new generation of models.

Autonews