On the evening of April 25, Smart Genie #1 officially announced its price, there are two models of new cars, and the pre-sale price after the official subsidy is 190,000 yuan to 230,000 yuan, which is much lower than the 250,000 yuan price previously estimated by Xiaobian. I have to say that although designed by Mercedes-Benz and built based on the vast architecture of Geely SEA, smart genie #1 born with a golden spoon is indeed unexpected in terms of pricing, but it is very reasonable.
First of all, from the positioning of Smart Genie #1, although it is a small SUV, the body length and width are only 4270×1822×1636mm, but its wheelbase has come to 2750mm, which is already the wheelbase level of the compact SUV, and the small body and large space are the best descriptions of it, which is also in line with the previous positioning of the Smart brand, a scooter suitable for urban consumers to go to work, buy vegetables and pick up children.
Looking back at the development history of the Smart brand, the biggest strategic mistake of the brand in the era of fuel vehicles is also the same, a micro fuel vehicle, the price range is as high as 120,000-220,000 yuan, so it is doomed to be only a "rich" scooter, basically with ordinary consumers, because it has touched the price range of its own brand and the joint venture brand compact SUV.
As sales continue to decline, the Smart brand is facing the threat of exiting the market one after another. In fact, Daimler Group officials did explicitly announce in 2019 that the Smart brand would withdraw from the U.S. and Canadian markets at the end of the year. But at the same time, Daimler Group also "secretly" and Geely Automobile have made cooperation, thus giving the Smart brand a new lease of life, after obtaining the technical support of Geely SEA Haohan pure electric architecture, Smart can quickly start electrification transformation.
Speaking of the new car itself, focusing on the actual needs of today's market, Smart Genie #1 changed the positioning of the previous brand to only build "mini cars", with the popular small pure tram debut, its distinctive cute shape, at once grabbed the attention of many people, especially for the public ID.3 and Euler good cat potential consumers.
The exterior design of Smart Genie #1 is very recognizable, the front face of the new car adopts a closed mid-mesh design, the two sides of the headlight group is made into a triangular shape, the middle is connected by a slightly curved LED light strip, the lower air intake is a narrow and wide trapezoidal design, the triangular elements on both sides of the air vent design, with a rounded front face line, the cuteness and sports atmosphere are pinched just right.
The body side, the suspension roof and the two-color stitching design are just basic operations, the hidden door handle of the "hidden mystery", the closed low wind resistance wheel hub combines beauty and practicality, and the sense of technology brought by the frameless door makes the Smart Genie #1 unique. It is reported that its door handle can also provide lighting, induction user keys, ice breaking and other functions to minimize the dilemma of users not being able to open the door under special circumstances. The through-type taillights at the rear of the car echo the front face shape, and the design is mainly simple and generous. This appearance basically restores the design of the concept car, and is undoubtedly more prominent, more futuristic, and more niche than the design of the Volkswagen ID.3.
In the interior part, the 12.8-inch central control screen and the left and right symmetrical center console layout are more effective in visual appearance, based on mercedes-Benz design, the selection of interior materials and the process of making splicing are quite elaborate. The power part is driven by a rear permanent magnet synchronous motor, and the maximum cruising range under CLTC conditions is 560 kilometers, and the acceleration time is 6.7 seconds. It is equipped with smart Pilot intelligent driver assistance system, HUD head-up display, and 13-speaker Beats speaker.
On the whole, the Smart Genie #1, which flows with Mercedes-Benz's "noble blood", has a product competitiveness in the small pure tram segment, and its product competitiveness in the small pure tram market is considered to be at the upper middle level, and the design level such as appearance and interior maintains the consistent high level of Mercedes-Benz, and at the same time, it has been blessed by the Geely SEA Haohan pure electric architecture in terms of core qualities such as vehicle configuration and power performance.
Despite the usual pride, Smart Genie #1 may not disdain to call the Volkswagen ID.3 and Euler Good Cat as rivals, given that the old pair of MINI's pure electric models are still missing, the current Smart Genie #1 seems to have preempted the high ground of the pure electric luxury small car market, so what do you think about the new Smart Genie #1 car?