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On April 8th, smart Elf # 1 made its overseas debut. According to previous reports, smart Genie # 1 is based on Geely's vast SEA architecture, with Mercedes-Benz design department responsible for styling and Geely responsible for vehicle development and manufacturing. the new car is positioned as a pure electric small SUV and is expected to be produced and marketed in China and sold around the world in 2022.

From the point of view of appearance, smart Genie # 1 is obviously different from the current models sold by the smart brand, and the new car adopts a new design style, which also establishes the trend of family design style of the future brand. Specifically, smart Wizard # 1 adopts through-type LED daytime driving lights and forms an integrated design with headlight groups on both sides, with a large grid opening on the front enclosure, a thick color lower guard plate on the front lip, and a longitudinal air shroud on both sides compared with the concept car.

On the side of the body, the smart Elf # 1 uses a hidden ABC column design with a champagne golden roof that is different from the body to create a suspended roof, while the new car is equipped with hidden door handles and frameless doors to further enhance its modern feel. In the rear part, the taillight group also adopts a penetrating design, the internal light source is bifurcated on both sides, and the overall style echoes with the headlights, and the round style further strengthens the "lovely" attribute of the new car. In terms of size, the length, width and height are 4290/1910/1698mm, wheelbase 2750mm, the overall size is close to MINI COUNTRYMAN, but compared with other smart models has been "leapfrog" larger.

In terms of interior decoration, the mass-produced version of smart # 1 basically retains the central control design of the concept car. The central console of the new car uses a circular enclosure style, and the simple and retro three-frame steering wheel continues from the concept car. In front is a 9.2inch slender LCD meter and 12.8in suspension multimedia display screen, while there are few physical buttons in the car, which looks very simple. Because the concept car adopts the design of opposite door and no B-column, the interior space of the car looks a lot of space. It should be noted that at present, only the concept model is unveiled, and it is unknown whether the door and non-B-pillar design will be retained.

In terms of power, the smart Wizard # 1 is equipped with a rear drive motor with a maximum power of 272hp, a peak torque of 343Nm, a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 6.7s and a maximum speed of 180km/h. The new car is equipped with a ternary lithium battery with a capacity of 66kWh, with a range of 420-440km under WLTP conditions.

Smart China Joint Venture Co., Ltd. in China is called "Zhi Motor Automobile Co., Ltd.". The company was established on December 27, 2019 with a registered capital of 5.4 billion yuan. It is a company jointly funded by Geely Automobile Group Co., Ltd. and Mercedes-Benz Co., Ltd. Business scope includes pure electric passenger vehicles and their parts and modules of technology development, research and development, technology licensing and transfer, technical services and consulting, wholesale and retail, import and export, after-sales service. The two shareholders will jointly operate and promote the transformation of the smart brand around the world, aiming to turn smart into a high-end electric smart car brand, and smart Spirit # 1 is its first mass-produced product, officials said.

In September 2021, the smart brand quietly changed its brand LOGO. In comparison, the new LOGO highlights the flattening design compared to the old one, but flattening does not simply delete the original textured metal gradual discoloration and outline lines. All corners in the graphics are filleted, weakening the previous sharp and tough mechanical impression, while giving the characteristics of technology, extravagance, dexterity, creativity and imagination. It reflects the overall transformation of smart to electrification and intelligence.

Tong Xiangbei, CEO of smart brand global company, said that genie # 1 "is not only the best interpretation of brand renewal, but also its global debut has set the latest milestone in the road of brand development. I believe that the new luxury pure electric travel experience brought by smart will be favored by the global market."

Combined with Tong Xiangbei's comments, Mercedes-Benz brand tonality and the historical development of the smart brand, it is expected that the price of smart Genie # 1 will not be very low, perhaps between 25 and 300000 yuan. If smart Elf # 1 is priced at 25-300000 yuan, it is not expected to take sales very seriously, in other words, the market performance will not be very good, because if it will face competition from its own brands and joint venture brands, including Tesla Model 3, BYD Han EV, Xiaopeng P7, Volkswagen ID.6 series and other compact, medium-sized pure electric vehicles. Of course, the above analysis only focuses on the Chinese market, but at present, the smart brand obviously pays more attention to the development of the global market.

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