- The launch of the Smart #5 EHD marks the brand's shift from offering only pure electric cars to also developing hybrid models.
- The Smart #5 EHD measures 4,705 mm in length and offers a battery range of up to 252 kilometers.
The Mercedes-Benz and Geely joint venture Smart has launched the Smart #5 EHD in China, the brand's first hybrid model.
Smart officially rolled out the Smart #5 EHD SUV (sport utility vehicle) at an event in Hangzhou yesterday, with a discounted starting price of RMB 169,900 ($23,930).
The price represents a RMB 20,000 reduction, or 10.53 percent, from the RMB 189,900 pre-sales price announced a month prior.
Specifically, Smart offers four variants of this plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), with guide prices starting at RMB 189,900, RMB 199,900, RMB 219,900, and RMB 239,900.
The company is offering a limited-time RMB 20,000 discount on the Smart #5 EHD, bringing the effective starting price down to RMB 169,900.
The Smart #5 EHD is Smart's first PHEV model, measuring 4,705 mm in length, 1,920 mm in width, and 1,705 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,900 mm.
It features Smart's proprietary EHD Super Hybrid System PHEV technology, utilizing Geely's Leishen Hybrid 2.0 platform.
The powertrain combines a 1.5L engine producing 120 kW with a front-mounted electric motor delivering 200 kW.
The Smart #5 EHD can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in either 7.2 seconds or 6.9 seconds.
It offers 20-kWh and 41.46-kWh battery pack options, delivering CLTC battery ranges of 120 km and 252 km respectively. With a full tank and fully charged battery, its combined range reaches 1,483 km and 1,615 km.
The Smart #5 EHD features the Pilot Assist smart driving assistance system, equipped with dual Nvidia Drive Orin X smart driving chips and a LiDAR sensor.
The model supports features including navigation-based pilot assist independent of high-definition maps and memory parking.
Launched in 1998, the Smart brand targets the premium compact vehicle market, designed by Mercedes-Benz as a solution for urban mobility in megacities.
On January 8, 2020, Mercedes-Benz and Geely established a new joint venture under the Smart brand, headquartered in Ningbo, Zhejiang, to advance their electric vehicle transformation.
Currently, Mercedes-Benz designers design Smart vehicles, while Geely handles their engineering.
Beyond the Smart #5, the company currently sells the Smart #1 and Smart #3 models in China.
In early September, Smart announced plans to launch the two-seat Smart #2 mini EV next year as the successor to its ForTwo model.
($1 = RMB 7.0993)
