Smart has already confirmed other technical information about its next SUV, including a brand new 800-volt hardware and battery pack of more than 100kWh. Official figures haven’t been confirmed, but the maker says that should translate to a range of “more than 341 miles” and a 10 to 80 per cent charge time of “just 15 minutes”.

Visually, the #5 also diverges from Smart’s established design language overseen by Gordon Wagner and his team at Mercedes. In place of the curved bodywork and segmented roof graphics is a blockier and more upright stance, with a bluff nose, upright windscreen and lots of SUV-typical styling elements. 

This being a modern EV, the need to fit in such a large battery pack has led to a very short rear overhang, which should not only benefit packaging the powertrain elements, but also unlock lots of rear legroom. As a result, we don’t expect this model to offer a third row of seating, which some potential rivals with similar footprints, like the Peugeot E-5008, offer. 

No images have been revealed of the Smart #5 interior, so far, but we expect the cabin will contain the new generation of technology and hardware previewed by the Smart #5 Concept. This is likely to include a screen-heavy design, with two large touchscreen displays mounted on the dash for the driver and passenger, plus a further driver’s display and minimal physical controls. 

We probably won’t have to wait long to see the production version of the Smart #5 through official channels, with the car’s Chinese development and construction teams fast-tracking the process to a possible global reveal later this year. In terms of rivals and pricing, Smart is likely to aim this at mid-size BEV SUVs such as the aforementioned Skoda Enyaq or VW ID.4, not to mention the Hyundai Ioniq 5, forthcoming Kia EV5 and even Merc’s own EQB. 

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