It seems that smart is moving further and further away from the city cars it had once been synonymous with. Autocar reports that the brand’s fourth new electric model under the Geely era will be a sedan called the #6, taking aim at the Tesla Model 3 when it is revealed later this year.
The four-door is expected to be based on the Zeekr 007‘s PMA2+ (Pure electric Modular Architecture), the same platform that underpins the smart #5. The car is set to be the quickest and most advanced smart model made to date, the publication adds.
Powertrain options are set to mirror those of the #5, including single-motor rear-wheel-drive versions with either 340 PS (250 kW) or 363 PS (267 kW), as well as a dual-motor all-wheel-drive model with 645 PS (475 kW). The latter, set to be badged the Brabus, is expected to get from zero to 100 km/h in less than 3.5 seconds and hit an electronically-limited top speed of 200 km/h.
More impressive is the range – thanks to a streamlined coupé-like body (which will continue to be designed by Geely’s joint venture partner Mercedes-Benz), the #6 is expected to achieve range figures “well over 800 km” for the most efficient model with the largest battery, albeit on China’s rather optimistic CLTC cycle. This approach mirrors that taken by Hyundai with the Ioniq 6 – another aerodynamically-efficient sedan.
Battery options will again be lifted from the #5, including a 76 kWh 400-volt lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pack and a 100 kWh 800-volt nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) unit. The latter is set to enable DC fast charging speeds of up to 400 kW.
While it will be designed primarily as an electric vehicle first, the #6 should also spawn a plug-in hybrid variant as part of smart’s revised strategy to combat slowing EV demand. This will likely utilise the latest NordThor EM-i powertrain from the Geely Galaxy Starship 7, pairing a 111 PS/136 Nm 1.5 litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine with an electric motor and a dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT) for a total system output of 218 PS and 262 Nm of torque.
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