smart electric SUV – new EV by Geely with Mercedes-Benz design, coming to Malaysia under Proton Edar – paultan.org

A bombshell piece of news has just dropped in the form of Proton Edar securing a distributorship agreement with smart to import the latter’s new range of electric vehicles into Malaysia and Thailand. This marks Proton’s first step in the local EV market, taking advantage of the government’s full tax exemption for these cars, which is expected to run until the end of 2023.

smart is a pretty well-known brand and it isn’t new to the Malaysian market, having previously been offered here in the mid-2000s via DaimlerChrysler Malaysia (now known as Mercedes-Benz Malaysia). But you can forget about the tiny runabouts the company built its name on – you won’t be able to buy the fortwo or the forfour, which are about to be discontinued by parent company Daimler (the forfour is already dead).

Instead, the small car expert will soon enter a new era with Geely, which signed a joint venture with its German counterpart to create a new firm to develop and sell electric models. These cars will be engineered by the Chinese carmaker – with Mercedes continuing to handle the design – and manufactured in purpose-built factory in Xi’an, some 1,400 km away from smart’s new headquarters in Hangzhou Bay.


The first of these all-new models is an electric SUV, previewed by the Concept #1 at the Munich Motor Show last year. Smaller than a typical B-segment crossover – but with the wheelbase longer than that of a Honda CR-V – it looks very different from the smart cars of old, with a jelly bean-like design, a grille-less front end, full-width head- and taillights, a “floating” roof and lack of a trademark Tridion safety cell.

Inside, the Concept #1 sports a minimalist cabin with swathes of gold trim, a three-spoke flat-bottomed steering wheel, a freestanding 12.8-inch centre touchscreen, pill-shaped centre air vents and a conceptual four-seat layout. Although much of the fanciful features won’t make it to production, recent patent images show that the final version will remain relatively faithful to the show car.

According to smart, the Concept #1 features several technological innovations, including a “3D globe” interface, an avatar that learns and adapts to the user’s behaviour using artificial intelligence, a Beats sound system, a centralised computer for the car’s electronic systems, dynamic over-the-air software updates and a smartphone app with a digital key feature and integrated connected services and functions.

Patent images show a production vehicle that will be largely faithful to the Concept #1

Although no technical details have been revealed just yet, Geely has already confirmed that the smart SUV will be based on its Sustainable Electric Architecture (SEA). The company said that even the smallest battery offered on the SEA2 platform – on which the car will be built on – will be capable of a range of about 450 km.

The use of SEA is key to Proton as it will likely use the platform for its own EVs, given that it too is partly owned by Geely. The national carmaker intends to use this opportunity to gain experience in the selling, servicing, and charging of EVs and build up its skill set in the sector. The company has already said it has a road map for introducing its own hybrid, plug-in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles in the future.

Proton Edar has yet to reveal a timeline for the introduction of the smart brand, but considering that the SUV is due to be revealed later this year, expect it to arrive in Malaysia soon after to take full advantage of the lucrative tax exemption.

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