The smart brand's first electric model, the Smart Genie #1, after a complete renovation, made its world debut in Berlin, Germany.
I think about it, the last time I drove a smart model, it was the smart fuel version that was leased on the Mercedes-Benz timeshare rental platform car2go in 2017. Time flies, and that's 5 years ago.
In 2019, Geely and Mercedes-Benz jointly invested about 5.4 billion yuan to establish a global joint venture under the smart brand. The first model born in this joint venture is the Smart Genie #1. For the division of labor in the development of this model, Mercedes-Benz is mainly responsible for design, while Geely is mainly responsible for engineering research and development.
So, let's start with the car and share with you some of what I know as the "past and present lives of smart electrification."
lucky:
Let smart "become" a smart electric brand
Let's first take a look at the basic information of smart genie #1:
Based on the Geely SEA vast architecture, positioned as a compact SUV;
Body size 4270mm*1822mm*1636mm, wheelbase 2750 mm;
Adopt rear single motor layout, maximum power 200kW, maximum torque 343N·m, zero hundred acceleration 6.7 seconds;
Equipped with a 66kWh ternary lithium battery pack, the CRUIC has a cruising range of 560km under CLTC conditions;
Supports 150kW ultra-fast fast charge, 100kW fast charge and 7.2kW slow charge.
The emergence of smart genie #1 is actually a bit "embarrassing" for Mercedes-Benz brand self-owned models. Because the Mercedes-Benz brand has a pure electric model EQA of the same level as the smart genie #1, and it is domestically produced by Beijing Benz.
Mercedes-Benz EQA body dimensions :
4463mm*1834mm*1624mm;
Wheelbase 2729mm.
Smart Genie #1 body sizes:
4270mm*1822mm*1636mm;
Wheelbase 2750 mm.
Geely's SEA vast architecture is not limited to a pure electric vehicle platform, but a full ecological architecture based on the hardware layer, system layer and ecological layer. Because of this, smart genie #1 will have inherent advantages in terms of electrification and intelligence.
As a model born on a pure electric platform, even though the smart genie #1 is 193mm shorter than the Mercedes-Benz EQA, the wheelbase is about 21mm longer. Coupled with the advantages of short front suspension and short rear suspension of pure electric platform models, the cockpit space of smart Genie #1 is theoretically at least not inferior to Mercedes-Benz EQA, and may even have a slight advantage.
However, because the length of the car is nearly 200mm, the trunk capacity of the smart genie #1 may be slightly lower than that of the Mercedes-Benz EQA.
In this regard, I also found two points in the official chart:
First, due to the rear-drive layout, smart genie #1 has a front load compartment in the front cabin with a volume of 15L. Storing household cables or a small backpack or handbag is not a big problem.
Second, the rear seat of Smart Genie #1 can be 4/6 minutes, can slide forward and backwards or recline to fill part of the trunk space. However, after the rear seat slides forward, how much impact will it have on the riding performance, we still have to look at the subsequent real car experience.
At present, Mercedes-Benz EQA only has a 300 4MATIC premiere model, which adopts the power layout of front and rear dual motors and four-wheel drive, but the maximum power of the system is only 168kW, and the zero hundred acceleration capacity is 7.7 seconds. There is a certain gap in the power level with the smart genie #1 with a rear single motor, and if the follow-up smart genie #1 launches a front-to-rear dual-motor four-wheel drive version, this gap will be further widened.
At the same time, the Mercedes-Benz EQA is equipped with a 73.5kWh ternary lithium battery pack with a cruising range of 537km under CLTC conditions. Although the endurance is not much different from the 560km of smart genie #1, smart genie #1 is only equipped with a 66 kWh ternary lithium battery pack. It can be seen that the energy consumption control of smart genie #1 based on the Geely SEA vast platform is stronger than that of Mercedes-Benz EQA.
So, why does the emergence of smart genie #1 make the Mercedes-Benz EQA slightly "embarrassing"? Because smart genie #1 has stronger power performance and better endurance, these are "hard indicators" for many electric vehicle consumers.
Aside from electrification, how does smart genie #1 perform in terms of intelligence?
First of all, let's talk about smart driving, from the current information, smart driving of smart genie #1 may be at the level of L2. Smart Pliot Driver Assisted Driving System supports ACC Adaptive Cruise, LKA Lane Keeping Assist, BSD Blind Spot Monitoring, TJA Traffic Jam Assist, APA Auto Park Assist, and more.
Smart Genie #1 supports lever lane change:
After talking about intelligent driving, let's take a look at the smart cockpit.
The cockpit of smart genie #1 features a 9.2-inch full LCD meter, a 12.8-inch touchscreen (1920*1080 resolution) and a HUD. The car is equipped with 128 ram and 128G of storage space, and it is rumored that the cockpit SoC of smart genie #1 will use Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155.
Based on the cockpit interaction design of the production/quasi-production car that has emerged in the past two years, it is clear that "weakening the instrumentation and emphasizing the acquisition of driving information" is a major interaction trend today, and the design of smart genie #1 is also the same.
For this set of smart genie #1 cockpit OS, it is called "smart inspiration planet" by smart. Then according to the official map, I will share with you my "speculation" about this cockpit OS:
First of all, if nothing else, the "Inspiration Planet" in the middle should be a quick entry to the map app on the home page, and can be rotated to show different features.
Clicking on a building on "Planet" can quickly turn on navigation routes, such as one-click home. At the same time, on the "planet", floating windows for quick search of surrounding points of interest are also designed, such as charging stations, restaurants...
Visual display of the car voice assistant "Avatar" in the lower right corner. However, here's a chimney: doesn't this conflict with ARCFOX Polar Fox's voice assistant "Little Fox"...
The Dock bar is arranged in the upper left corner of the car and includes the home page, apps, music, navigation, system settings, and more.
At the bottom is the air conditioning adjustment and the heating function of the seat and steering wheel, and in the upper right corner is the display of information and status such as time, network, link, user, wireless charging, etc., and the volume adjustment left for the co-driver.
Judging from the floating window on the "planet" with a quick search of the surrounding points of interest and the floating window card for music playback on the left, this cockpit OS has a 0-level interaction design for common functions in the driving scene.
Through the speculation of this cockpit OS, it should design a lot of animation effects, and the "planet" in the middle is also very likely to be a 3D rendering, so many graphics/animation renderings, the cockpit SoC really has to be at least qualcomm Snapdragon 8155.
(GIF from New Travel)
Although the cockpit OS seen so far presents a "playful" and "youthful" atmosphere as a whole, I personally feel that it is a little chaotic. There are many elements and more complex, and the UI design of the various details is not uniform, which is likely to cause trouble for the interaction in the driving scene.
However, this is also my first impression of seeing the official map, or the sentence: Wait until the real car is getting ahead and then look at it...
Benz:
I am responsible for "beauty" enough
The production version of smart genie #1 almost restores the design of the concept car or retains typical design elements in terms of design, both in appearance and interior.
(smart concept car)
As the same from the Mercedes-Benz design team, I even saw some dentist X shadows on this car.
(smart genie #1)
(Denza X)
Even the taillight styling of smart genie #1 carries the design style of a Mercedes.com.
In order to show its identity, smart genie #1 also has a "STYLED BY BENZ" nameplate on the body.
Since last year, the colors that create a sense of luxury in car design have changed from "silver" chrome trims commonly used in most first-class models to "gold". Like what:
(Porsche Taycan optional interior)
(BMW iX)
(New Range Rover)
(Ideal L9)
Of course, including today's smart genie #1, one of the two colors that appear in the official picture uses a gold contrast roof and gold body trim.
I think in our daily lives, gold is more eye-catching than silver, and it is more difficult to use. Proper use can reflect a strong enough sense of superiority, but if it is not used well, it may be very "earthy", such as:
In terms of interior design, the current official drawing shows 3 interior colors.
There are two color schemes, with large areas of gold-tone ornaments. At the same time, the shape of the air conditioner outlet also has a strong "Mercedes-Benz flavor".
The most emblematic of Mercedes-Benz interior design characteristics is the use of "light", smart genie #1 atmosphere light has Mercedes-Benz's deep design skills, the interior light and shadow atmosphere is in place.
In addition to the mood lights distributed in the center console and air conditioning outlet, the sound speaker unit also arranges the effect of the atmosphere light.
If there are a few design details that I prefer on smart genie #1:
One is the LOGO of the diamond cut effect on the suspended roof, which looks more delicate and has been heard that it can be lit at night.
One is the gear lever on the steering wheel, the seat headrest, the seat wing, the air conditioning outlet, the door handle, these interior design elements are all designed with rounded corners to make the interior look more coordinated.
There is also the speaker unit of the Beats sound system, although the shape design highlights the door panel, but combined with the entire interior design, such a "deliberate" is a "finishing touch".
Following the historical genes of the smart brand, the overall characteristics of smart genie #1 are still "rounded" and "flexible". As for the aesthetic differences of each person, I dare not say that this car is "beautiful", but it is definitely "exquisite" enough.
Smart electrification of the past and present
Let's first talk about how Smart was founded, and there are two companies: one is Mercedes-Benz, and the other is the Swiss watch brand Swatch.
In 1994, Mercedes-Benz and Swatch formed a joint venture, MCC, to develop a prototype of the Smart model.
Soon after, Swatch opted out, and Mercedes-Benz acquired Swatch's 19% stake in MCC and officially launched the first generation of smart models in the European market in 1998.
This is the birth of the smart brand...
Seeing the emergence of smart genie #1 today, how many people will think that this is the first time that smart has been exposed to electrification?
Not really.
In 2019, Geely acquired a 50% stake in Smart, and former Daimler Chairman and CEO Zetsche and Geely Chairman Li Shufu signed a contract in Hangzhou and confirmed that Daimler and Geely would form a joint venture, which is now a global joint venture under the smart brand: Smart Motor Automobile Co., Ltd.
Zetsche then posted an article on social media titled "More smart than ever before: Joint venture of Geely and Daimler."
The article mentions:
My conviction is that smart has always been a brand for people who question the status-quo. That applies to our customers and also to our colleagues. The big idea of the little smart still has so much more potential. That’s why we want to strike out in new directions together with Geely. Radical rethinking has been part of this unique brand’s DNA from the very beginning. It still is. And that’s how it should be.
I firmly believe that smart brand customers and colleagues are a group of "people who dare to question the status quo". Smart is small, but it contains a great brand idea. Because of this, smart still has great potential today. That's why we're blazing new trails with Geely. From the beginning, "think through" was part of the DNA of smart's unique brand, and it still is. This is the direction that belongs to it!
This is the beginning of a new smart brand, but it is by no means the beginning of smart's entry into electrification.
In fact, as early as 2007, smart has begun to explore electrification, when the test of the smart electric version equipped with a 13.2kWh battery pack. Then in 2009, the smart electric version officially entered the market, and the upgraded and optimized model was equipped with a 16.5kWh battery pack, although the battery capacity was improved, but the cruising range was only 135km.
Since we talked about the 2009 smart electric version, here we have to talk about a story: Tesla.
That's right, the "Tesla" you think.
This officially launched smart electric version is equipped with a power system provided by Tesla.
Musk was not yet 40 years old at the time, and with the financial crisis, SpaceX's rockets failing three times, and Tesla on the verge of bankruptcy, Daimler spent $50 million to buy a 9% stake in Tesla.
It not only solved Tesla's urgent needs, but also allowed the smart electric version to be replaced with a new power system in a short period of time.
In the years that followed, the smart electric version underwent several more iterations/replacements. At the 2013 Guangzhou Auto Show, the smart electric version was officially launched in China. But the high price of 235,000 yuan, the short range, the lack of infrastructure, and the domestic consumers who would not buy for electric vehicles at that time soon disappeared in the Chinese market.
(GeeKCar test-drove the smart electric version in 2014))
As a result, the subsequent generation of smart electric version did not enter the Chinese market.
Think about a few years ago, when the domestic market new energy vehicle subsidies boom, a BAIC BJEV EV200 "pre-subsidy price" sold to 246,900 yuan, if the smart electric version is still stuck in the Chinese market, maybe today's pattern will change something... How to say it, it is "not born at the right time"...
When I used to drive a smart fuel model, the impression on me was not very friendly, and I can still vaguely remember the driving feeling of "accelerating and looking up, braking and nodding".
Especially the smart fortwo model, due to the rear-drive layout, the engine noise in the car is more obvious. Coupled with the short wheelbase, I can't forget the scene when I drove a smart fortwo across the road on a snowy day in Beijing...
Today, the smart jointly owned by Geely and Mercedes-Benz is no longer the smart it once was, or "this is a brand new". Even if the new brand still has the genes of the past, we still can't compare the two.
A new platform, a new driving form, a new level of intelligence... Compared to previous models, smart genie #1 is a new beginning for smart to "become" a smart electric brand.
At last
Today, the rejuvenated smart calls itself the "new luxury pure electric car technology brand". "New luxury" is a middle-class consumer group, who are willing to pay higher prices for their favorite products, here are two points different from "luxury":
New luxury people pay more attention to the use experience of products, rather than face;
The price of new luxury products will not be as high as luxury goods.
In other words, smart genie #1 is not a product for "Volkswagen electric vehicle consumers", its price will not be too high, but it will not be low, and its audience is more like a "petty bourgeoisie" who pursues lifestyle taste.
Nowadays, more and more electric vehicle products have begun to have their own "personality", just like the era of the gradual development of fuel vehicles. For example, Gu Jia's ideal L9, loyal to driving Lotus Eletre, interpret the new luxury BMW iX, Lantu Dreamer for the whole family, Crossover hunting krypton 001...
Also, today's smart genie #1 for the delicate petty bourgeoisie.
Beyond that, they all have one thing in common: they see gaps, or "blue oceans," in the "more segments" of segments due to demand stratification.
So, what do you think about such an electric car?