- Smart Concept #1 is a near-production preview of an electric model due in the near future from the brand.
- The more-mainstream four-door crossover promises plenty of driver assistance tech, along with a futuristic interior.
- Geely and Daimler have been operating Smart as a joint venture since 2019, but the brand is no longer present in the US.
Smart brought its freshest concept to the Munich IAA this week, presenting the Concept #1 electric crossover to the world. An electric automaker now, Smart is seemingly leaving behind its traditional packaging and design aesthetic with this crossover concept, which is said to be a near-production preview of an upcoming vehicle. Much larger and longer that the Smart models we're used to, the concept is an airy four-seater that instantly invites comparisons to the likes of the Mini Countryman, while offering plenty of its own luxury features inside, including a 3D touchscreen.
"We're celebrating an important milestone with the smart Concept #1, which is the forerunner of the next smart generation," said Daniel Lescow, vice president of global sales, marketing and after-sales for the brand. "The near-production study is an exciting taste of what our customers can expect from the smart brand. The new smart Concept #1 is the first glimpse of our vision of a new and sustainable mobility. It's characterized by progressive design, premium equipment, and advanced technology."
Geely and Daimler, its corporate parents, are keeping mum on the technical details of the pillar-less four-door for now, only hinting that it uses its own purpose-built platform, while the infotainment system offers over-the-air updates. The concept also promises advanced driver assistance systems such as evasive steering assistance and parking assistant, among others, that will be offered on the production version of the vehicle.
"The unique design of the control interface, which is shown for the first time in the smart Concept #1, is particularly user-friendly," the automaker says. "A three-dimensional globe serves as the central menu item on the high-resolution 12.8-inch touchscreen. An AI avatar helps the user navigate through the menus and functions. Thanks to artificial intelligence, this virtual companion constantly learns from the user's behavior and can thus adapt increasingly to their individual preferences."
Ultimately, the Concept #1 crossover is about the company's design direction more than anything, and in many ways it can be seen as a belated capitulation to the mass market tastes of the day, ditching the needlessly short wheelbases of the company's previous offerings for something much more realistic and cargo-ready. With a length of 168.8 inches from bow to stern, the concept is just an inch shorter than the Countryman, seemingly signaling the brand's desire to finally get a slice of this segment.
"The new sporty Concept #1 is a redefinition of the Smart brand in a very cool grown-up way," said Gorden Wagener, chief design officer at Daimler. "We have created a completely new design DNA that has the potential to establish smart as the leading design brand."
Of course, this turn in the automaker's design philosophy is happening just after Smart has left North America, and arguably after Smart should have already turned to this body style. It's also tough to picture what Smart could have subsisted on in the states prior to the arrival of a production version of this concept, which is expected sometime soon with an undisclosed starting price and plenty of potential in China and Europe alike.
Should Smart return to the States with a production version of this concept? Let us know in the comments below.
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