Get ready for Smart #5 EV adventures 

Smart Automobile has introduced its Smart #5 to the world’s motoring press in Byron Bay, signifying the importance of the Australian market to the brand. The all-new electric SUV is targeting outdoor adventurous buyers and is putting the emphasis on a fun, premium and technology-laden package.

Australians will likely most remember previous Smart cars as go-kart-like hatches that can fit in miniscule parking spaces. The brand left here in 2015 and its return is courtesy of Smart Automobile, which was established in 2019 as a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and China’s Geely Auto Group. 

The Smart #5 (pronounced hashtag five) will first go on sale in China later in the year before arriving here in the second half of 2025. It features 800-volt architecture and a massive 100kWh battery that’s good for a claimed CLTC range of 740km (there’s no official WLTP figure yet) and charging from 10 to 80 per cent in only 15 minutes.

Inside the Smart #5 is a high-tech affair, with a 23-inch augmented reality head-up display, 10.3-inch instrument cluster, and dual 13-inch infotainment screens spread across the width of the dash and paired to 20-speaker Sennheiser premium audio. As with other Smart new releases, there’s a cutesy avatar – in this case, a lion – to guide drivers through the system’s functionalities. 

Adding to its off-the-beaten track credentials are driving modes of adaptive, sand, snow, mud and rock. Once you get there, all seats can be folded flat to create up to a claimed king-size bed space and there’s even a built-in projector to beam movies from the vehicle’s front grille and a portable speaker to take with you.

Two variants were unveiled at the event, Premium+ and Summit Edition, with the latter including a roof light bar and electric trailer hitch, along with a package of underbody protection, roof carrier, side steps, ladder and lockable storage pod.

Full specifications and pricing for the Smart #5 are to be announced at a later date.