Smart is preparing to launch its first saloon on the market, and it will not be electric

Smart has just submitted in China the homologation application to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, better known as MIIT, for the brand’s first saloon. The new Smart #6 is remarkable not only for the segment it belongs to, coming from a brand like Smart, but also for its propulsion system.

For months, rumours have been circulating about a future electric saloon from Smart, based on the same SEA platform as the #5 SUV, with an 800-volt architecture that would have allowed ultra-rapid charging, as well as greater range thanks to its better aerodynamic coefficient.

The brand has decided, however, to debut this new model with the same strategy it applied to the #5. That is, to launch it first as a plug-in hybrid under the EHD designation, leaving the possible commercialisation of an electric version for later.

What else do we know about this new model?

According to the catalogue of the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the #6 EHD will be available in two different versions, both with the same NordThor hybrid system from Geely. The combustion engine is a 1.5 turbo of 120 kW, while the electric motor, integrated into a three-speed gearbox, delivers 200 kW. The combined system output reaches 320 kW, exactly the same figure declared by the #5 EHD.

The two versions differ in their supplier and, presumably, in the capacity of the LFP battery pack; one supplied by SVOLT and the other by CATL. For now the exact capacity of neither is known, as this data is not mandatory to submit to the MIIT, but for reference the #5 EHD is available with battery packs of 20 kWh for the entry version and 41.26 kWh for the top version, with electric-only ranges of 120 and 285 km respectively, under the Chinese CLTC homologation cycle.

The version with the 41.26 kWh battery pack also offers an impressive combined range together with the combustion engine of 1,810 km, also under the CLTC homologation cycle, which should in principle be even greater in the new #6 EHD saloon from Smart, given its expected better aerodynamic coefficient.

At 4.91 metres long and with a wheelbase of 2.93 metres, the #6 becomes the largest Smart ever built, comfortably surpassing the #5. At 1.92 metres wide and just 1.51 metres tall, the new #6 EHD shows a streamlined silhouette, very far from what Smart has offered until now.

For now there are no images of the interior and no price has been announced for the Chinese market, but we should not have to wait long to learn all the details of this model, since once the MIIT publishes the data of any vehicle, its commercialisation is usually a matter of days.