Photo: Smart
smart is not at its first attempt at developing and selling an SUV. Even if no production models have ever been presented, a crossover is still something that sparks the imaginations of the company’ leadership.
The potential SUV or crossover in the smart lineup would belong in the B-segment, which is the same where Nissan’s Juke is incredibly popular. While smart may be a bit late to the small SUV party, the brand owned by Daimler still has a shot at the market. SUVs and Crossovers are still popular in Europe, China, and the USA, so there’s no shortage when demand is concerned.
It will be interesting to observe what platform will be employed by smart for its next SUV. The company has an all-new configuration on its hands, but it might not introduce a rear-wheel-drive B-segment crossover. Instead, smart may also offer an all-wheel-drive option, which would mark its first system of that kind.
A significant difference from the time when the smart SUV rumors first popped up is the fact that Daimler is a partner of Renault-Nissan. As you can imagine, the French-Japanese corporation already has products in the B-segment SUV and crossover offerings, which makes it difficult for them to support their partner’s new business venture.
However, the market is large enough to support an SUV from smart at the same time as a model from the Renault-Nissan Alliance that first had its technical platform. After all, the Smart brand is a different kind of automaker, and it might sell enough crossovers to settle its financial necessities without affecting the Nissan and Renault brands, which sell significantly mode cars every year.
Just like the other smart models, the crossover or SUV would come with a distinctive design. While it may be polarizing, the described strategy should bring customers that are more interested in being different from just having the run-of-the-mill SUV.
It will be interesting to observe what platform will be employed by smart for its next SUV. The company has an all-new configuration on its hands, but it might not introduce a rear-wheel-drive B-segment crossover. Instead, smart may also offer an all-wheel-drive option, which would mark its first system of that kind.
A significant difference from the time when the smart SUV rumors first popped up is the fact that Daimler is a partner of Renault-Nissan. As you can imagine, the French-Japanese corporation already has products in the B-segment SUV and crossover offerings, which makes it difficult for them to support their partner’s new business venture.
However, the market is large enough to support an SUV from smart at the same time as a model from the Renault-Nissan Alliance that first had its technical platform. After all, the Smart brand is a different kind of automaker, and it might sell enough crossovers to settle its financial necessities without affecting the Nissan and Renault brands, which sell significantly mode cars every year.
Just like the other smart models, the crossover or SUV would come with a distinctive design. While it may be polarizing, the described strategy should bring customers that are more interested in being different from just having the run-of-the-mill SUV.
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