Smart #1 crossover gets an upgrade: 800-volt architecture and fresher electronics

smart Automobile (a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely) has announced an updated electric subcompact crossover, the smart #1. The modernisation has mainly affected the technology and electronics, with only minor design changes.

The smart #1 made its debut in 2022 and was the first smart model created by engineers from the Geely holding company, with Mercedes-Benz overseeing only the design development. The smart #1 is based on the junior version of the versatile SEA platform with a 400-volt electrical architecture, offering single-motor rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor all-wheel-drive versions, whose specifications differ slightly between China and Europe.

In 2019, when the smart Automobile joint venture was established, it was assumed that China would be the primary market for smart, so all new smart models are produced in China. In reality, the new smart models turned out to be too expensive, making it difficult for them to compete with more affordable alternatives, including those created by the Geely holding under other brands on the same SEA platform. From January to May this year, smart sales in China, according to CAAM, totalled just 8,516 vehicles (-24.2% compared with the same period last year). The smart brand is now primarily targeting Europe, but the updated smart #1 will first appear in China — sales are expected to begin as early as August.

The exterior of the smart #1 has barely changed as a result of the update, with key dimensions remaining the same (length — 4,270 mm, width — 1,822 mm, height — 1,636 mm, wheelbase — 2,750 mm), but new colour combinations and new wheel design options will be available for the body. The updated smart #1 can be identified from the outside by the protrusion with a lidar above the windscreen, a slightly extended rear tailgate spoiler, and new door handles with finger recesses instead of the previous flush-fitting ones. The interior has also not fundamentally changed: the only notable innovation is a 15.4-inch multimedia screen with 2.5K resolution instead of the previous 12.8-inch unit.

The main technical innovation is the switch to an 800-volt architecture, which has increased the maximum battery charging power from 150 to 370 kW. Recharging the battery from 10% to 80% at this power takes just 12 minutes. The battery capacity of the Chinese version is 61.52 kWh, with a range of 535 km per charge on the CTC cycle.

For China, only a single-motor rear-wheel-drive updated smart #1 has been announced so far, featuring a new highly integrated powertrain module producing 245 kW (333 hp). The Chinese smart #1 has also received the latest suite of electronic driver assistance systems with the aforementioned roof-mounted lidar and a powerful Nvidia Orin-Y chip delivering 200 TOPS of performance.

Prices for the updated smart #1 are not yet known, but they are unlikely to rise, and may even become slightly lower in China; otherwise, a significant surge in demand cannot be expected. The pre-facelift smart #1 currently starts from 154,900 yuan (approximately 1.82 million roubles at the current exchange rate).

It should also be noted that in October, at the Paris Motor Show, the new two-seater urban electric car, the smart #2, will make its debut, with which smart Automobile hopes to achieve significant sales growth in Europe.