The new Smart #5 SUV is set to be sold with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain alongside previously revealed pure-electric variants in response to growing concerns around sales in some global markets.
The move, confirmed by Chinese-based Smart officials after photos of test mules were posted on social media, represents a major step-change for the Geely- and Mercedes-Benz-owned company, which previously committed to exclusively selling new-generation Smart models with electric power.
The decision to begin offering the largest Smart model to date with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain is also likely to be a reaction to changing sales dynamics in Smart’s largest market, China, where plug-in hybrids and range-extenders have experienced strong sales recently.
Technical details of the plug-in hybrid version of the #5 remain under wraps, though it is thought to use a variant of the Thor system already fitted to other recent new Geely models, including the Galaxy 7 EM-i.
It combines a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and electronic dual-hybrid transmission (E-DHT) developing 110bhp in combination with a 215bhp electric motor.
In the Galaxy 7 EM-i, the Thor system comes with the choice of either an 8.5kWh or 19.1kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery, providing respective ranges of 55km and 121km on the Chinese Light Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC) procedure.
With an average fuel consumption of 74.3mpg and a maximum 1724kg kerb weight in combination with the 19.1kWh battery, the Geely’s overall range is put at 1,421km.
By comparison, the electric versions of the #5 offer between 335bhp in single-motor and 416bhp in dual-motor guises – the former running a 400V and the latter an 800V electric architecture. They are coupled with 76kWh lithium-iron-phosphate and 100kWh lithium-ion batteries with ranges of between 570km and 740km on the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP).
While details of Smart’s plans for sales of a plug-in hybrid #5 in the UK have yet to be revealed, indications are that it is being readied for launch in 2026. Electric versions of the new SUV model are set to go on sale in European markets, including the UK, in mid-2025.
Geely’s and Mercedes-Benz’s decision to step back from original plans to make Smart models purely electric comes after Geely’s Lotus brand announced it would also abandon its strategy of electric-only models.
