Smart #5 apparently gets up to 645 PS motors

New information on the 800-volt car from the Chinese ministry

Smart Concept #5: The exterior of the study (side view)

By: Stefan Leichsenring

Published by: Brian Potter

Jun 14, 2024 at 5:26am ET

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The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is the electric car editor's friend. The MIIT website regularly publishes data and images of brand new models that have not yet been officially unveiled. Now details of the new Smart #5 have been published there.

The Smart #5 was only recently presented as a study. While the Smart #1 and Smart #3 are compact SUVs, the joint venture between Geely and Mercedes is venturing into the mid-size class for the first time with the Hashtag #5. And for the first time at Smart, the newcomer also has an 800-volt system for fast charging. More detailed information can now be found on the MIIT website, as CarNewsChina reports.

Smart Concept #5

At the presentation of the study, Smart failed to provide the dimensions, but they are now listed on the MIIT website. At 4,705 mm long, 1,920 mm wide and 1,705 mm high, the car fits exactly into the mid-size class. This makes the car about as long as a Ford Mustang Mach-E, BMW iX3 or Tesla Model Y. Like the Smart #1, however, the #5 is also quite high as the Ford is almost 10 cm lower, a Kia EV6 even around 15 cm. This is reminiscent of the Smart #1, which is also very tall. The wheelbase is specified as 2,900 mm, which corresponds exactly to the wheelbase of the EV6.

Motor-battery combinations of the Smart #5 in China Drive RWD 340 PS RWD 363 PS AWD 587 PS
(224+363 PS) AWD 645 PS
(224+421 PS) Battery (chemistry) LFP LFP NMC NMC

In China, the Smart #5 has the option of four powertrains. As you can see, the powertrains are different from those of the #1 and #3. Instead of a 272 PS rear-wheel drive and a 428 PS all-wheel drive system, there are two rear-wheel drive and two all-wheel drive systems. It starts with a 340 PS rear-wheel drive, and the 363 PS version is likely to have the same engine hardware. The power is presumably limited here by the battery, which is probably larger in the 363 PS version and can therefore also deliver more power.

The storage capacities are not clear from the specifications, but the study had a 100 kWh battery for a range of 342 miles. A photo of the instrument display of the Concept #5 suggested that there could also be a version with a range of around 205 to 249 miles.

While the rear-wheel drive vehicles will be fitted with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, the two all-wheel drive vehicles will be fitted with NMC batteries (with nickel, manganese and cobalt at the cathode). A 224 PS motor is used at the front and, depending on the version, a 363 or 421 PS motor at the rear. The top speed is limited to 124 mph, with the top motorisation reaching 130 mph.

It should be possible to charge the 100 kWh battery of the study from 10 to 80 per cent in less than 15 minutes. This corresponds to a charging rate of 4C or, in other words, a charging speed of 100 kWh *0.7 / 15 min = 4.7 kWh/min. These are high values even for an 800-volt system. For comparison, the lifted Porsche Taycan has a charging speed of up to 3.8 kWh/min.

Smart Concept #5: Das Exterieur

The Smart Concept #5 already had four horizontal slits at the front

The body shapes are very similar to those of the concept car, which already appeared to be close to series production. The Chinese version has four horizontal slits at the front and rear, which are vaguely reminiscent of the seven radiator fins typical of the Jeep brand. In addition, there are continuous light strips at the front and rear and, as in the concept car, there are two horizontal LED elements on the headlights. Inside, the car is likely to have three displays, as the cockpit of the study also looked ready for series production:

Smart Concept #5: Das Interieur

It remains to be seen when the Smart #5 will be officially unveiled and when it will be launched on the market. The market launch in China is scheduled for the end of the year.