Smart have just revealed their new Smart #1 which is an electric SUV that will be coming to Malaysia under Proton soon. This is following the recent Proton signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to officially sell smart vehicles in the country. Under the agreement, Proton Edar will be the importer, distributor, and dealer for smart vehicles in Malaysia and Thailand.
As for the smart brand, it has been owned by Geely and Daimler for a few years already. The new smart #1 is built upon Geely’s SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) electric vehicle platform. Other recent launches like the Zeekr 001 and the Lotus Eletre also utilize this platform.
The smart #1 is relatively small for SUV, measuring in at a length of 4270mm, a width of 1822mm, a height of 1636mm and a wheelbase of 2750mm. It has a small trunk capacity of 15 litres, which is barely sufficient for the charging cable alone.
It is powered by an electric motor that easily outputs 272hp and 343Nm of torque. This motor is mated to a 66kWh ternary lithium battery operating at 400 volts for a 420-440km WLTP driving range. Using a standard charger, the car is expected to reach 10% to 80% battery in around 3 and a half hours. On its max 150kW DC charger, the charging time reduces to 30 minutes. The vehicle has a top speed of only 180km/h.
The interior is very modern and is filled with great technology. It has a large 12.8-inch central display and a 9.2-inch instrument display for the driver as well as a HUD head-up display. Leather seats and steering wheel provide great comfort while the Beats sourced audio system provides great entertainment.
While the price of the smart #1 is yet to be revealed, its expected to cost closer towards the RM200,000 mark. Although the SUV looks promising, with a price that high its hard to say how many buyers it will bring in.
