Smart reverses its move to all-electric and develops a plug-in hybrid car

Many manufacturers have postponed their move to all-electric, faced with sales taking off more slowly than expected. This time, smart, which was the first traditional manufacturer to abandon thermal engines in 2019, will even reintroduce them into its range. This had already happened on certain models, such as the Fiat 500, but this is the first time that a manufacturer that has already gone all-electric has reversed its decision.

It must be said that the smart range, now managed jointly by Mercedes and Geely, no longer has much to do with that of the brand in 2019. While it still produced its small fortwo and forfour there, with which it has become known, smart currently offers a range of much larger models, made up entirely of SUVs, for which a thermal engine is more suitable for use.

A rechargeable hybrid engine to cast a wider net

Thus, prototypes of the #5 smart family SUV equipped with a gasoline engine were observed, which prompted the brand to clarify the situation. The spokesperson for smart's European operations explained to Coach : “We consider individual mobility powered by combustion engines, and in particular by hybrid engines, to be a transitional technology towards purely electric driving. It is important to respond to the increasingly diverse demands and desires of customers . Smart cannot exclude any technological solutions for the future at this time.”

However, several questions remain unanswered. First of all, we do not know which thermal engine will equip the smart #5, except that it should be a plug-in hybrid powertrain. This solution is in fact very popular in China, where it represents more than 40% of sales of connected cars. This also includes range-extender electric models, which operate like plug-in hybrids. Another pending question, smart #1 And #3based on the same SEA2 platform as #5, will they be entitled to this engine? Finally, we can imagine that smart will not necessarily introduce thermal engines in all markets where the brand is present, some being less dependent on this energy than others.