Are you ready for this? smart’s new fully electric crossover, the #1, will soon be unveiled for the world to see. It’s a brand that has long lost traction in Malaysia, but is making a grand comeback following a distributorship agreement signed between it and Proton Edar.
That’s right, the funky EV you see here is likely expected to be launched in our part of the world to take full advantage of the government’s import, excise and road tax exemption for EVs. Luckily for us, our spy photographers managed to catch a glimpse of a test mule, complete with first images of its interior.
First of all, the exterior design is something we’ve already seen in the patent images revealed last October, what with its full-width LED head- and taillights, a trapezoidal lower front air intake, flush door handles, thick C-pillars, and frameless windows all around. This is all an extension of Mercedes-Benz’s “Sensual Purity” design language. The active grille with aero wheels, combined with the jelly bean-like appearance, helps create a drag coefficient figure of only 0.29.
Inside, the cockpit appears to get a small, almost minimalist kind of instrumentation, next to which is a huge freestanding tablet-style infotainment display. The lack of switchgear along the centre console indicates that multimedia and HVAC controls are all integrated within the head unit, most likely activatable via voice and gesture, besides the obvious touch functionalities.
There are three compartments along the floating centre tunnel, plus additional storage area underneath. We don’t get to see much else, save for the bolstered front seats with contrast stitching, as well as slim air vents.
There are no technical details available as yet, but sources say the #1 is almost ready and is currently going through final evaluation tests. The car will be unveiled in Berlin on April 7.
A company spokesperson said: “The combination of Mercedes-Benz design and smart engineering creates a compelling proposition. A pure and elegant exterior design provides a perfect balance of aesthetics and aerodynamics underpinned by depth of engineering and premium quality. The smart #1 has recently completed extensive pre-production testing in northern China, with its battery and technology systems being put to the ultimate test in -40°C temperatures.”
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Proton edar? Trust me.. no less than 170k
the interior looks pretty similar to a mercedes laa