Smart will lift the veil on its all-electric #3 SUV at April’s Shanghai Auto Show prior to Chinese sales kicking off by the end of the year and the car’s European arrival in 2024.
The car manufacturer classifies the new model as a compact model and while we have no doubt it would have liked to keep it under wraps until Shanghai, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released pictures of the SUV in November last year. It follows a similar design philosophy to the #1 but is larger.
Data has revealed that the Smart #3 is 4,400 mm (137.2 inches) long, 1,800 mm (70.8-inches) wide, and stands 1,600 mm (62.9-inches) tall. It has a wheelbase of 2,785 mm (109.6-inches) and has similar overall dimensions to the VW ID.4. Its wheelbase is also 1.4 inches (35 mm) longer than the #1.
Read: Smart #1 Brabus Could Tailwhip A Moose Clean Off The Road
Underpinning the #3 is the same Geely Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) as the #1 and while Smart itself hasn’t announced powertrain options for the SUV, it is tipped to be offered in a host of different configurations. For example, entry-level models are expected to be powered by a single 268 hp electric motor driving the rear wheels while the range-topping Brabus model will also use a 154 hp front-mounted motor, making for a combined 422 hp. The same 66 kWh battery found in the #1 should also be used.
Speaking with Auto News Europe about the new model, as well as the brand’s future plans, Smart Europe chief executive Dirk Adelmann said it will launch one new model each year until 2027. One of these models will be the #2, a name that has been reserved for a new minicar that is expected to replace the ForTwo.
