Smart is set to launch in New Zealand soon, kicking off with its #1 urban SUV and the smart #3 coupe SUV. Each will be available in three variants.
Others will be coming in due course and could the sleek new #6 flagship be one of those? It is set to unveil later this year and will become the brand’s fastest, most advanced model to date. Due to rival vehicles like Tesla Model 3, it will have in excess of 470kW in dual-motor form.
The slippery four-door saloon will be a similar size to the Model 3 from Tesla. The focus, however, is not so much on performance as range. Aeros will be slickest of any Smart model to date.
Evidently in some forms it will have over 800km of range. Take that with a grain of salt, however, because the figure is based on the Chinese CLTC test cycle. On the WLTP cycle used in Europe, the figure is more likely to rival that of the Model 3 Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive’s 700km.
The saloon, which is closely related to the Zeekr 007, will reach European showrooms early next year. It won’t just be electric either; a plug-in hybrid powertrain is also promised.
No-one outside of the smart team has yet spied the #6. It is being styled by a team at Mercedes-Benz under the lead of smart design boss, Kai Sieber.
UK Autocar reports it will have a raked roofline together with surfacing treatment similar to existing smart vehicles. So expect frameless doors and wheels ranging in size from 19in to 21in.
The company’s first sedan will ride on a Geely-developed PMA2+ platform. This is a development of the Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) for EVs, the platform that underpins the likes of Polestar 4.
PMA2+ can use both 400V and 800V electric architectures. The higher one will endow the #6 with a charging capability of up to 400kW. Expect single-motor rear drive and dual-motor four-wheel drive powertrains.
The former should be good for up to 250kW while all-paw variants will have up to 470kW, at least in Brabus clothing. That should be sufficient to challenge Tesla Model 3 Performance. A sprint time of under 3.5sec is promised, with top speed limited to just under 200km/h.
Battery capacities will range from a base of 75kWh (LFP) for 400V rear-drive models to 100kWh (NMC) for 800V rear- and four-wheel-drive models.
