6 Facts about the Smart #1 EV that’s coming to Malaysia soon

The Smart brand, now revitalised as a joint-venture between Mercedes-Benz and China’s Geely Group, is set to enter the Malaysian market very soon. Having evolved from its early beginnings making ultra compact city cars, the brand is now striving to become a leader in the global electric vehicles (EVs) scene.

Their latest offering, christened as the Smart #1 (pronounced as ‘Number One’), is set to make its market entry in Malaysia and Thailand thanks to national carmaker Proton’s distribution arm, Proton Edar. The subsidiary has been appointed as the distributor for the Smart brand for both Malaysia and Thailand.

How exactly the Smart brand will be presented remains to be seen, but we’re certain Proton Edar will shed light on this following a MoU-signing ceremony scheduled later this week on Thursday, Aug 18. In the meantime, here are six key facts you need to know about its upcoming first offering from the Smart brand.

1. It’s now 100% electric with decent range – between 420 km to 440 km

Unlike the previous fortwo and forfour ultra compact city car models, the new Smart #1 model has ditched said predecessor’s small size and low-emissions internal combustion engine (ICE), adopting a new subcompact crossover SUV design and fully electric setup instead.

The latter sees the #1 employ a single rear-mounted electric motor rated at 268 hp (or 200kW) and 343 Nm that powers the rear wheels. Said motor is juiced by a 66kWh lithium-ion battery pack and, though Smart negated to reveal a 0-100 kmh sprint time, it did claim that the #1 will hit a top speed of 180 kmh.

Crucially, the range this electric setup promises is rather decent: between 420 km and 440 km (WLTP). As for charging, the #1 accepts up to 22kW of AC charging, which can recharge the battery from 10% to 80% in less than three hours. The same effort using a 150kW DC fast charger takes just 30 minutes instead.

2. It underpins Geely’s new SEA EV architecture

The Smart #1 is the first European-badged EV to underpin Geely’s new Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) platform, specifically the SEA2 variant of which. Designed by former Volvo chief engineer, the SEA platform was developed by Geely with high-modularity in mind, hence Geely’s plans to develop various other models and vehicle types off of it.

The core offshoots consists of SEA1 covering the mid-size (D) and luxury (E) segments, SEA2  for compact (C) and mid-size (D) segments, a smaller and economical SEA Entry (SEA-E) for B-segment budget vehicles, SEA-Sport (SEA-S)  for sportier models, as well as a SEA Commercial (SEA-C) for commercial vehicles.

3. It is styled by Mercedes-Benz

This ought to explain why the Smart #1 shares some slight similarities with the likes of the famed three-point star’s EQA and EQB compact EVs inside and out.

On the exterior, the most notable similarity can be seen in the shape of the #1’s taillight strip – it mirrors that seen on the derrieres of both aforementioned compact Mercedes EVs. On board, Mercedes-Benz’ styling touches can also be seen in the dashboard’s design, the large floating 12.8-inch centre infotainment screen, the shape and styling of the air-cond vents, the steering wheel, and the seats, as well as the way the ambient cabin lighting is integrated.

Though it doesn’t bear the famed three-point star emblem, it’s plain to see said German co-owners of the Smart brand have ensured the #1 remains properly styled like one of its own.

4. It’s roughly the same size as a Mini Countryman

In terms of dimensions, the Smart #1 will be roughly similar in size to the Mini Countryman. At 4,270mm long with a 2,750mm wheelbase, 1,822mm wide, and 1,636mm tall, the Smart #1 is just 27mm shorter in length and 79mm lower than said Mini crossover.

In terms of cargo and luggage space, the Smart #1 offers a relatively ‘frunk’ that measures 15 litres, as well as a traditional rear boot space measuring 273 litres. The latter can be expanded further to 411 litres  thanks to rear seats that can both fold and slide forwards and back.

5. It will be very posh, high-tech, and very safe

Being a sub-brand of the three-point star marque does come with certain expectations on these fronts. Fortunately, though marketed further down the market than its Mercedes-badged cousins, the Smart #1 promises to meet expectations on both these fronts.

In terms of on board amenities, the Smart #1 will feature plenty of premium and high-tech bits like a 9.2-inch digital instrument panel supplemented by a 10-inch head-up display, a 13-speaker Beats premium hi-fi audio suite paired with the aforementioned 12.8-inch floating infotainment screen, as well as a panoramic glass roof amongst many other.

As for safety, the list includes basic things seven airbags, as well as ABS and stability control. On top of which, the Smart #1 will also offer a full complement of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that includes adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go fuction, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane-centering and lane-keep assist, lane-change assist, blind-spot monitoring, as well as part assist.

6. It promises to be very ‘affordable’

With everything we’ve just stated, it’s only natural to assume that all this goodness the Smart #1 promises to deliver will come at a princely price. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case given that rumours and rife speculation have surfaced online indicating a tentative price tag hovering at the RM150,000 mark.

Whilst we cannot verify these claims yet, it’s almost certain that the folks over at Proton Edar will want to price the Smart #1 well to ensure maximum market penetration, more so considering the government’s tax break on fully imported (CBU) EVs that’s sin play right now.

Should the rumoured RM150,000 tentative price tag figure turn out to be true, then it will make the Smart #1 one of the most affordable premium compact EV to go on sale locally. What say you, folks? Would this be the ideal EV of choice for the money then? Hit the comments below with your thoughts!