As 2022's calendar advances seemingly ever so slowly, Smart has released more morsels of information about its electric SUV. The vehicle, set to launch later this year, will be called the Smart #1, and yes it’s named after social media hashtags.
(Editor’s Note: Here at Jalopnik, we never use the “#” to denote a number, instead opting for “No.” But this is the unfortunate name that Smart has chosen for its vehicle, and therefore I must break with style guide tradition. — Elizabeth Blackstock)
Smart’s latest release on its upcoming electric SUV still doesn’t reveal anything too important, but we get another look at what it looks like as well as a few new bits of information about it.
Let’s start with that name, because it’s a doozy. Smart’s new SUV will be named Smart #1. Why? Well, I’ll let Smart take it away:
With combination of the “#” symbol followed by a number, smart has defined a recognizable family name for its new generation of all-electric vehicles. Now often used to indicate the hottest topics in social media, the “#” symbol is evocative of trendsetting in the digital era - fitting, because ever since its first production car unveiling at IAA in 1997, smart has been striving for innovation and remained a trendsetter in the automotive industry.
Social media can be a fun place where you see outrageous car builds, learn something new, or laugh at something stupid to get you through your day. On the other hand, sometimes social media gets a bit ridiculous with influencers using long lines of hashtag this, hashtag that and terms like trendsetting.
Smart wants people — especially the younger car buyers it’s targeting — to know that it’s a hip trendsetter, too. But it sort of just feels like the “how do you do, fellow kids?” meme. In the past, Smarts were trendy because they were distinctive and weird, not because they told you they were cool.
The move also changes Smart’s nomenclature. Gone are names like Fortwo and Forfour. Now, the vehicles will get a hashtag followed by a number. Mercedes-Benz’s partner in reviving Smart, Geely, has a knack of giving its brands’ cars a range of numbers for model names. So that tracks.
Smart’s release wasn’t just about the SUV’s name. The company says that the #1 has been through aerodynamics testing and has achieved a drag coefficient 0.29. That’s much better than the outgoing Fortwo’s 0.38. An active grille shutter and flush door handles help the #1 out, there.
Smart also took the #1 through some cold weather testing.
The SUV drove around northern China in -40℃ temperatures, where Smart says that the battery’s temperature control system kept things working well.
One legitimately cool feature to come out of this is the #1's door handle ice breaking function. Smart doesn’t say how it works but claims they work even when the SUV’s covered in a layer of ice.
Once again, we have no actual specs for battery size, range, power or anything like that. And yep, it’s still not coming to America. Hopefully Smart changes that stance because this sounds like the one Smart that would actually sell well here.