Upcoming smart EV SUV Will Show the World What It Means to Be Really Clever

But what if I was to tell you that while everybody is focused on what Tesla, the VW Group or various Chinese brands are doing, the real “EV threat” lies dormant within Daimler’s smart division. Oh yes, they won’t know what hit them and by the time they realize it, it may already be too late.

Now, rest assured that smart is no Skynet, and no real harm will result from them attempting to make a name for themselves in terms of electric mobility. What’s important to realize though is that smart is about to tick every single box there is when it comes to what people are looking for primarily in an electric vehicle.

Unlike with Tesla back when they first burst onto the scene, everyone already knows smart and their ultra-popular products, the fortwo and the forfour. It’s the former that most people think about whenever they hear talk of the smart brand, and you can make a case for the fortwo being the most instantly recognizable vehicle ever built in the microcar segment.

This brings us to what’s about to happen later this year at IAA Mobility 2021 in September. smart will unveil its first-ever compact SUV in concept form and yes, it will be fully electric. Look at it this way: SUV? Check. EV? Check. Trendy badge? Check. Affordable? Technically, we don’t know, but it’s a smart so it’s very unlikely that it won’t undercut the Tesla Model Y or the Mustang Mach-E in terms of price.

We even have a bunch of real teaser images depicting the upcoming smart EV SUV, but this is about more than just one model. This vehicle should open the floodgates, and the real punch will probably come from a series of sibling models and eventual successors. smart going into the EV SUV business might just be the no-brainer of the century.

Check out how enthusiastic Daimler Group design boss Gorden Wagener is about a future smart SUV: “We took this great opportunity to restart the brand, and our eSUV concept embodies all of the new DNA of smart. It’s a visionary approach that creates a new identity for the brand. More beautiful, sportier and of course, much cooler than before. Icons like this concept have all the potential to turn smart into a leading design brand.”

The carmaker will target young families with its first-ever SUV, as well as all buyers looking for sustainable electric transportation but want to “remain urban avant-garde trendsetters.” The vehicle will utilize Geely’s modular SEA platform and will feature a recognizable exterior design (albeit with fresh new styling), as well as a unique UI (user interface) and UX (user experience).

We’ve been told to expect concealed door handles, illuminated elements and a large panoramic roof, to go with an overall modern interior, premium materials and the likes of voice control and a seamless digital key standard on each vehicle.

Going forward though, we can imagine even more such products, which is exactly what Bernhard Reichel did when coming up with this rendering. It shows a more conventional yet extremely modern take on a small crossover, and for those reasons, the smart branding certainly fits well. It even has pop-up door handles, and cameras instead of mirrors, which is a neat touch.

Visually, it shares very little with the upcoming smart EV Concept, but then again, we’re not sure how many characteristics the concept itself will share with the final car once it becomes production ready. Let’s just think small, trendy and eco-friendly.

Looking at the rendering and the teaser images side by side, it’s obvious that the German carmaker is looking to build something cool and youthful, which means they’re probably not thinking about having it blend in with all the other small crossovers out there – which the unofficial rendering does kind of do.

Either way, expect smart to really knock this one out the park and don’t be surprised if their EV SUV undercuts the Tesla Model Y Standard Range by more than $10,000. As for size, it can't afford to be too small, which is why it could potentially be as "big" as a MINI Countryman.