Smart #6: City car brand launches Toyota Camry-size PHEV sedan

Smart made its name with diminutive city cars, most measuring between 2.7m and 3.5m in length, but since Mercedes-Benz sold half of the brand to Geely, the marque’s range has grown in both size and quantity.

The latest model in Smart’s product offensive is the #6, its first ever sedan. With its blacked out alloy wheels and a pop-up boot lid spoiler, the #6 will likely be pitched as the brand’s sportiest offering.

Its curvy body features head- and tail-lights that live within full-width translucent plastic housings. With what seems to be a LIDAR unit on the roof, as well as cameras mounted behind the front wheel arches, the #6 will be available with advanced driver assistance functions.

No images of the sedan’s interior have been revealed so far, but if Smart’s current offerings are anything to go by, expect a plethora of screens and, at least for Chinese market, an AI voice assistant.

Measuring 4906mm long, 1922mm wide, 1508mm tall and riding on a 2926mm wheelbase, it will easily be Smart’s largest vehicle ever, overtaking the 4.7m #5 SUV.

For reference, the latest Toyota Camry is 4920mm long, 1840mm wide, 1455mm tall, and has a 2825mm wheelbase.

At launch the #6 will be available exclusively as a plug-in hybrid using Geely’s NordThor Hybrid 2.0 setup, and a total system output of 320kW.

The #6’s drivetrain seems to be the same one used in the #5 EHD, which has a 120kW 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine under the bonnet, a rear-mounted 200kW electric motor, and a three-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT).

Electric range for the #6 plug-in hybrid is said to be 285km using the generous CLTC standard, while total driving range is claimed to be 1810km.

Although Smart has yet to provide details about the #6’s battery pack, the plug-in hybrid #5 with similar range figures uses a 41kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery.

For a brand that has thus far only sold hatchbacks, SUVs and the odd convertible or two, launching a sedan seems on an odd move, but there’s still a healthy appetite for sedans in China, Smart’s core market.

MORE: Explore the Smart showroom