Highlights:
- Interest in new smart marque has accelerated start of customer test drives
- New smart models are available from $64,990 + on-road costs
- Aspiring owners are able to place orders now
- “The perfect blend of German precision, European quality and leading-edge Chinese EV technology”
Less than two weeks since registrations opened, smart has reported a strong and positive response to their new range of premium all-electric SUV models.
To help satisfy interest in the new marque, smart is taking the step of making test drives available ahead of dealer sites officially opening later in March – including the range-topping #3 Brabus performance-enhanced model with a 3.7-second 0-100km/h sprint.
“Such is the interest in smart that we are taking the slightly unusual step of making test drives available before the dealership locations are customer ready,” said smart General Manager, Arek Zywot.
“I know our customers will appreciate the opportunity to be amongst the first in the country to drive smart and experience the perfect blend of German precision, European quality and leading-edge Chinese EV technology.
“I’ve been fortunate to have spent some time in the #3 Brabus, the fit and finish is as would be expected of a premium European vehicle, the EV know-how is phenomenal, and the dynamics are mind-blowing – especially the acceleration. It is powerful and incredibly fun to drive, you have a smile on your face every time you get behind the wheel.
“I strongly encourage people to register their interest on the smart website and be part of the test drive experience, so they too can savour this automotive masterclass.”
To coincide with the opening of test drives and customer ordering, further details of the new zero-emissions offering have been released.
“I am excited to announce the new smart will be available from $64,990 with the range-topping #3 Brabus available from $84,990,” said Mr Zywot.
“smart represents a compelling proposition when considering it is German design, offers performance tuning by Brabus and features a Beats sound system with over a dozen speakers all wrapped up in a five-star ANCAP and ENCAP rated safety package.”
“Technology highlights include Intelligent AI-powered avatar for voice-controlled interaction, there is also an impressive 455 km WLTP range available and all models in the portfolio feature a five-year/ 150,000km warranty.”
The new smart range will launch with two different model lines, smart #1 urban SUV and the smart #3 coupe SUV, with each available in three variants consisting of PRO+, Premium and Brabus.
PRO+ and Premium are rear-wheel drive, while the Brabus is all-wheel drive. Peak power in the PRO+ and Premium is 200kW, which increases to an impressive 315kW in the Brabus version.
All examples of smart #1 ride on 19-inch alloy wheels, while the range topping #3 Brabus features 20-inch alloy wheels as standard.
The two higher-specification models both receive a 10-inch Head-Up Display.
Capacity of the Lithium (NMC) battery is 66 kWh and a DC Super Charging time from 10-80% is possible in less than 30-minutes, says the company.
The warranty on all models is five years / 150,000km (whichever occurs first), and high voltage core components of the battery feature a warranty of eight years or 160,000km. Service intervals are scheduled as annual or 20,000km.
“While you may have heard of the smart brand, this new generation will reset perceptions of what a smart SUV is all about, – especially its value for money when compared with other European performance models,” said Mr Zywot.
“smart is here to shake things up and disrupt the status quo when it comes to feature-rich, aesthetically-enhanced, no tailpipe emissions, sports performance mobility in an SUV. It really is the complete package.”
Perhaps the question on everyone’s mind is why smart decided to use ‘smart’ instead of ‘Smart’ or even ‘SMART”.
Aspiring smart owners are invited to register their interest at www.nz.smart.com to ensure they are at the front of the queue to test drive the new smart.
| MODEL | #1 | MSRP + ORC |
| VARIANT | PRO+ | $ 64,990 |
| VARIANT | Premium | $ 69,990 |
| VARIANT | Brabus | $ 79,990 |
| MODEL | #3 | MSRP + ORC |
| VARIANT | PRO+ | $ 69,990 |
| VARIANT | Premium | $ 74,990 |
| VARIANT | Brabus | $ 84,990 |
smart Automobile was established in 2019 and is a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely, since that time it has delivered over 100,000 new-generation units globally. The marque’s business footprint covers 28 markets, including Europe, China, the Middle East, South America, Southeast Asia and Oceania.
