Smart could be working on an electric SUV that could revolutionise the market

Smart, the city car brand owned by Daimler, has been reinvented and, thanks to the work of Mercedes-Benz and in turn Geely, it can be said that “its future is going to be bright”. This claim is not ours but was recently made by Markus Schäfer, head of R&D at Mercedes-Benz. Geely is adding larger wheelbases to the future electric SUV and incorporating Volvo technology into the new model with the aim of becoming a joint venture.

The future of Smart is far more promising than it has ever been, according to Mercedes-Benz’s head of R&D, Markus Schäfer, as the electric car brand is set up as a joint venture between Daimler and Geely.

The agreement, recently completed in January, includes the production of smart vehicles in China. The brand will remain focused on electric cars, but above all on city cars. Markus Schäfer has stated that while Smart had been successful in terms of how it was received by consumers, it had not been commercially viable.

He also wanted to add that “it was a successful product in terms of customers liking it, and switching to a brand solely for electric vehicles was a brave step, but ultimately we missed the opportunity to make it commercially successful”.

Smart, this is what Daimler and Geely’s new electric cars will look like

“We need to increase volume. With current volumes, we don’t have scale and we need to be competitive in a world where higher volume, especially in this segment, is extremely important.” “By working with Geely, we gain access to larger scale, Geely’s expertise and the close cooperation with Volvo, along with our knowledge of Smart and its history.”

The head of Research and Development of the brand with the star also wanted to point out that the combined forces are now oriented towards product design, which is based mainly on Daimler HQ, and that they work side by side on engineering. “This is a good foundation for creating a scalable platform and sufficient volume to succeed,” Schäfer added.

Smart will present the new electric models Fortwo and Forfour in mid-2020. By 2022, a compact electric SUV is expected to reach our streets. The executive of the German group has also stated that “we have the brand’s genes and, with our engineering and design power, we have had a good start. In terms of product, I would say ‘stay tuned'”.

Something very big and special is coming for the German group, the brand with the star and the new electric car brand of the automotive group. For now, we will have to wait to learn more details. We can’t wait!