Based on Geely’s SAE platform and designed with help from Mercedes-Benz, smart has announced that it is building its first crossover. The new electric vehicle will be compact and electric.
The announcement was made by Daniel Lescow, the automaker’s VP of global sales, on LinkedIn recently. In the announcement, he describes the crossover as “the new alpha in the urban jungle.”
Smart recently became a joint venture of Geely and Mercedes-Benz. That means that this SUV will be based on the Chinese company’s recently unveiled scalable electric platform. The platform is being used by a number of Lynk&Co vehicles as well as a yet to be unveiled small Volvo.
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Design and support help will come from smart’s other parent company, Mercedes. “It really is a case of 1+1 being way more than 2!” writes Lescow.
The vehicle is being designed with an eye to China, whose market for EVs is big and for crossovers is growing. Lescow promises, though, that the car will also be designed for and sold in Europe.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many details available about Smart’s new crossover.
We do know, however, that Geely is aiming for 5 star safety ratings standards and up to 400 miles of range from its SAE platform. The company has also announced that it is working with Mobileye to ensure that there are advanced driver assistance features and eventually self-driving capabilities.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am about this vehicle,” said Lescow. “It will be exceptional – instantly recognizable as smart, ultra-modern, sophisticated and advanced in connectivity solutions. Most importantly, it will possess the “smartest” of all characteristics – super-compact on the outside and big on the inside.”
