The electric revolution at Smart is fully charged as the marque’s renewal of its brand, product and business model now has a fresh new nomenclature for its first all-electric model although some might argue it isn’t exactly very… smart.
Say hello to the all-new Smart #1. No, it that’s no typo. Pronounced as “number one,” the crossover has recently completed a series of aerodynamic and winter tests in lieu of its launch later this year.
While odd names aren’t all that new in automotive nomenclature, this could very well be te first time a pound symbol is part of the official model’s name.
Nonetheless, given Gen Z’s affinity social media, there might be some logic to incorporating a hashtag in the name. Expect the combo of the pound symbol and a number to be the naming template for all Smart models to come.
In fact, we’ve seen similar, simpler naming nomenclatures in many new carmakers such as Tesla and Polestar; indicative of a new naming norm.
Measured at the China Automotive Engineering Research Institute in Chongqing, the #1 achieved an impressive drag coefficient of 0.29. Overcoming aerodynamic drag leads to a reduction in a vehicle energy consumption; especially vital in an EV.
Thanks to the “Sensual Purity” design philosophy applied by the Mercedes-Benz global design team, the Smart #1 features a pure and elegant streamlined exterior with concealed door handles and active grille shutters further aiding cutting through the air.
Pushed to the limit in the far north of China, at one of the world’s coldest testing grounds and in temperatures around -40 ℃, the #1 showed excellent resistance to extreme cold. The battery temperature control system maintained the optimum working condition for the battery.
Another smart feature of the system allows customers to pre-set their driving schedule via an app or vehicle control panel of the #1 in order to automatically pre-heat the battery and ensuring optimised charging and output efficiency.
Having learnt a thing or two from watching how modern cars struggled with concealed door handles being stuck during extremely cold weather (we’re looking at you Tesla), Smart smartly equipped an ice breaking function on the handle that allows it to function normally even with a thin layer of ice over it.
Now lets all wait for Smart’s social media team to realise that calling their vehicle the #1 will see it lost among the other 104 million posts on Instagram with the same hashtag tacked on.
Keyword: Smart’s new name for the first model under the electric revolution doesn’t sound very smart