- The Smart #5 will be sold with both electric and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
- This move likely comes after the huge rise of PHEV popularity in China, which is expected to be on of the #5 main markets.
- Other Geely-owned brands could follow suit and steer away from being EV-only.
Everyone knows the Smart car. The sort of roller-skate-shaped microcar was a godsend to city-dwellers all over the world, and in many ways still is. But these days, Smart is half-owned by its original parent company, Mercedes-Benz, while the other half is owned by China's Geely Group. And as Geely has done with Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr and other brands, Smart is up to some interesting stuff as of late—including plug-in hybrids now.
While it previously announced its plan to only sell battery electric vehicles, now it’s come back on the decision and will also offer plug-in hybrids. This move is meant to ensure the brand’s survival, with sales of pure EVs fluctuating or falling in some markets and increasing buyers preferring PHEVs.
According to Autocar, Smart will offer the #5 midsize electric crossover with both powertrain flavors. All new Smart vehicles are built on variations of Geely’s SEA platform, so while this hasn’t been confirmed yet, combustion power will likely make its way under the hoods of other models in the manufacturer’s lineup to keep them competitive.
The Smart #5 PHEV will likely borrow its plug-in powertrain from other Geely models built on the same platform. It if that's so, then it will consist of a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, which, combined with an electric motor, makes 215 horsepower. Two battery pack sizes are possible: 8.5 kilowatt-hours and 19.1 kWh, with the latter giving the similar-size and mechanically related Geely Galaxy Starship 7 EM-i a CLTC electric range of 75 miles (120 kilometers).
The pure electric models will offer a lot more performance, though. The top Smart #5 variant has a dual-motor setup with 579 hp, and thanks to a 100 kWh battery, it has a CLTC range of 460 miles (740 km), which will translate to a WLTP range of around 340 miles (550 km). The Brabus variant will have a claimed 637 hp, although it’s unclear if it will be available in Europe.
Given how much is derived from China now, a return to the U.S. could be a hard sell for Smart. But for the rest of the world, this brand is finally moving beyond the roller skate.
Smart’s European arm told Autocar “We see individual mobility powered by combustion engines and, in particular, with hybrid drives as a transitional technology towards purely electric driving. It is important to respond to the increasingly diverse demands and desires of the customers. Smart cannot exclude any technological solution for the future at the current point of time.”
The company spokesperson stopped short of confirming any specifics, but the message is pretty clear and in line with what other automakers have been saying over the past year or so. This shift from pure electric to plug-in hybrid could include other Geely brands in the future, including Polestar or Zeekr.
Strong demand for plug-in hybrids in China (where all new Smart models, including the #5, are on sale and face stiff competition) could explain the move. That’s because in the other major market, Europe, sales of plug-in hybrids were down in 2024 compared to the year before. Europeans seem more willing to move from a combustion car to a pure EV without a PHEV in between; 13.6% of all new cars bought in Europe last year were electric, while PHEV sales fell.
