Unlike BMW partnering with the Great Wall to promote the electrification transformation and landing of the MINI brand, the smart brand is actually a nirvana of rebirth, whether it is technology, positioning, design style is completely reset, and gives greater weight to the Chinese gene implantation. In January 2020, Geely and Mercedes-Benz each invested 50% to establish Smart Motor Automobile Co., Ltd. in Ningbo with an investment of 5.4 billion yuan and a production base in Xi'an to be launched domestically in 2022.
Mercedes-Benz has been committed to making smart comparable to BMW's MINI brand, but since its inception in 1994, the smart brand has never achieved profitability, with a cumulative loss of up to 5 billion euros, which is also the fundamental reason for Mercedes-Benz's decision to completely reset smart. The new smart motor joint venture system, Mercedes-Benz is only responsible for the output design, while the engineering development, including the technical route and production and manufacturing, are all responsible for Geely, and completely transform the pure electric brand, seeking to control costs and adapt to the situation.
Comparison with model on the platform:
Geely will give full play to the advantages of platform integration that is now a big business, and will next give birth to smart's SEA Haohan pure electric architecture, Geely has announced at least 7 brands, 16 models are using SEA architecture for research and development. Of course, SEA is also divided into several sub-platforms, the first model of Smart Smart, the small four-door SUV codenamed HX11, and the second small four-door crossover model code-named HC11, all of which are from the SEA-2 platform dedicated to small and medium-sized cars, which can develop models with a wheelbase range of 2650-2900mm, and the minimum battery version can last more than 460 kilometers. There is also a SEA-E mini car platform underneath it, which does not rule out the future smart brand to re-launch the double-door micro car based on this to undertake the classic model smart for two.
The first car of the smart codenamed HX11 is based on the smart Concept #1概念车打造 launched at the Munich Motor Show in September, and it is known that on the same SEA-2 platform, there is also a Volvo small electric SUV codenamed V216, which may be named XC20 after mass production; in addition, there is another model of the same class code BX1E, which will be installed in Geely's new luxury electric vehicle brand Extreme Kr.
Comparison of competing models:
Although smart has also developed a number of cars in the past, but the real amount is only smart for two, and now the same level of market has become the world of electric micro-cars, even if smart enters, it is difficult to position and price, as well as sales to do. Therefore, its first model chose to cut in with a small SUV, aiming at THE MINI's COUNTRYMAN as a competitor, and the power chose a pure electric route that the opponent has not yet involved, so the two vehicles will not play a positive conflict, but can directly divert the user needs of the same level of models that are inclined to new energy.
According to the size of the prototype concept car, the smart #1的三围尺寸与MINI countryman are very close, and the longer wheelbase is conducive to increasing the space of the battery layout, but also expanding the car space. It is now known that the rear seats of production models can slide forward and backward, flexibly adjusting passenger and storage space. In addition, thanks to the native pure electric platform architecture, under the front compartment cover is Tesla's same front load compartment design.
Nowadays, the mass production version has begun road testing, and the design patent drawing has also deciphered the design of the final version in advance, and the appearance and interior have almost greatly retained the design of the concept car. The headlights are still conjoined, but the lower part of the front bar will no longer be designed with matrix light spot decoration, but will be replaced by a conventional air intake, and a front-view camera, ACC radar and auxiliary air intakes on both sides will be added. The concept car's B-pillar-less door opening design is certainly not realistic, and the production version returns to the traditional shun-open design, but will retain the frameless door and hidden door handle, and the rearview mirror bracket is also moved down to the door panel to become a flagpole structure. The hub is a low wind resistance spoke design, and the suspension system is a front McPherson, rear multi-link independent structure. The rear part of the car also retains the concept car design, the suspended C-pillar position will have a smart logo, and the tail light group can also see the style that is in line with the Mercedes-Benz EQA.
The 12.3-inch central control screen of the interior, the simplified floating center console, in addition to the steering wheel spokes, the design of basically no physical physical buttons have continued. The frosted silver trim replaces the concept car's luxury gold, and the red bands on both sides of the headrest highlight the smart brand's youthful and stylish positioning. In addition, the mass production version will increase the small size LCD instrument screen in front of the driver, and with the HUD head-up display system, to meet the habits and convenience of consumers reading driving information. The production model will be equipped with a rear-drive motor with a maximum power of 200 kW, a battery capacity of more than 70 kWh, a NEDC range of more than 500 km, and a four-wheel drive performance version with dual motors in front and rear.
Editor's Comments:
Compared with MINI's stronger brand power and complete sales channels, the re-started smart has more of a bit of waste to be revived. The D2C model will be adopted next, with plans to establish 200 stores in 60 cities by the end of 2023, including more than 20 self-operated delivery centers. The first model is expected to be officially unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show in April next year and will be mass-produced in the second half of next year.