► New Smart #5 Concept revealed
► Smart’s biggest car yet
► Previews production model coming soon
Smart has revealed a new concept car, previewing a forthcoming new model. The Concept #5 makes its official debut at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.
That Concept #5 shows off what looks to be Smart’s biggest car yet. The concept has some seriously chunky design details, with off-road-spec tyres and a X-shaped roof rack attached. The Smart brand’s face seen on the #1 and #3 has evolved, too. Smart says the concept car features deployable side steps to reach that roof rack, and points to the car’s short front and rear overhangs, too.
Inside, there are elements of the #1 and #3, but the cockpit is dominated by an enormous, rounded infotainment panel incorporating a central and passenger display. Smart says the software is powered by the latest chip technology from AMD and uses a generative AI virtual assistant. Elsewhere, the ‘zero gravity’ front passenger seat heats, cools, massages and incorporates a leg rest so you can properly recline.
Underneath is where it gets interesting, though. The Concept #5 uses an 800-volt electric architecture – something not seen on a Smart so far – and boasts a mammoth 100+kWh battery pack. Smart says that, at the highest charging rate, the battery can be zapped from 10 to 80 per cent in 15 minutes.
The production-spec #5 is already on the way, according to Smart. While this concept version makes its debut at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in China on April 25, Smart says the production model will launch ‘in the second half of 2024.’