2024 Smart #3 teased again

The second official teaser of the 2024 Smart #3 has been released, showing the battery-electric coupe-style SUV wearing only light camouflage and revealing it will come with advanced aerodynamics for a longer range.

Debuting on April 18 at the Shanghai motor show, the Smart #3 is designed as a more rakish take on the smaller Smart #1.

It continues Smart’s revival after 50 per cent of the company was snapped up by Chinese car-making giant Geely, which now co-owns the French brand with Mercedes-Benz.

We’ve previously seen from leaked images how designers have evolved the Smart #1 into the more slippery #3, but the latest release confirms that the drag coefficient had been reduced from 0.29Cd to just 0.27Cd.

The changes include using an active grille shutter, tweaking the air curtains, adding revised air dams, designing more efficient alloy wheels and developing a new rear diffuser and spoiler.

It also carries over the #1 SUV’s aero door mirrors, pop-out door handles and near-flat floor design.

Thanks to its slippery design, Smart says the #3’s range, efficiency and top speed all improve over the #1, although specific details are still to be released.

As an added bonus, slipping through the air in a cleaner fashion is also said to reduce both vibration and wind noise, improving refinement.

As reported previously, the Smart #3 grows in size beside the #1, occupying a similar footprint to the Mercedes-Benz GLA – although the German brand would prefer you bought it over a BMW iX3, Audi Q4 e-tron or Volkswagen ID.4.

Beneath the skin the latest Smart SUV shuns a Benz platform for the advanced new Geely-developed SEA architecture.

Inside, the Smart #3 should look almost identical to the Smart #1, featuring a large 12.8-inch infotainment screen that is both customisable and includes a 3D avatar that acts as an on-board assistant.

Ahead of the driver will be a smaller 9.8-inch digital instrument cluster and a generous 10.0-inch head-up display.

Set to weigh in at 1740-1890kg, the entry-level Smart #3 is primed to use a 200kW single-motor powertrain driving the rear wheels, while the most powerful version will get two electric motors that pump out 315kW/543Nm combined.

The punchy dual-motor set-up will drive the Smart #3 Brabus that should return a 0-100km/h sprint of just 3.7 seconds.

Battery specs are still to be confirmed, but it’s a safe bet that the 66kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery from the Smart #1 will be employed. If so, expect the bigger Smart #3 to have a driving range of 420-440km.

Right-hand drive variants of the Smart #1 are set to go on sale by the middle of 2023 in markets like the UK, followed by the bigger Smart #3 just months later.

However, it’s still not known if there are plans set in motion to launch both EVs in Australia.

In markets like the UK, Smart sells its cars via the Mercedes-Benz dealer network – a business model that could be replicated here for the micro-car brand, which left our market in 2015.

Another avenue for the revived Smart brand in Australia could be to leverage Geely’s relaunch here.

According to sources speaking to carsales, the Chinese auto-maker is hunting for a local distribution partner for a full-scale launch in our market.

For everything you auto know about EVs, listen to carsales' Watts Under the Bonnet: the electric car podcast

Join the conversation at 

our Facebook page

Or email us at 

editor@carsales.com.au