As electrification continues to disrupt the automotive market, one clear element is emerging that’s true for every player in the game: in the future, mobility will be all about connecting users, places, and experiences, as the car becomes more of an extension of our digital lives, rather than a mere vehicle that takes us from A to B.
The all-new smart #1 is moving decisively in this direction, thanks to an immersive and pure driving experience that seamlessly integrates safety, support, and assistive features with a wide array of advanced connectivity options provided by the infotainment system. Moreover, the all-new car strikes a perfect human-tech balance thanks to the partnership with ECARX, whose smart mobility solutions are transforming cars into futuristic transportation devices.
The car’s new smart OS, co-developed by smart and ECARX, perfectly embodies the smart brand spirit and allows users to fully customize their digital experience. The main interface between the car and the user is the digital head unit, built around a large and bright 12,8” touchscreen display. Through the screen, users can control vehicle functions and the infotainment system or interact with smart's first ever in-car virtual assistant in the shape of a digital fox avatar. The advanced features of the smart #1 digital ecosystem were made possible by a unique co-creation process between smart and ECARX. Unlike in a traditional feature-oriented relationship between an OEM and a carmaker, each party brought their respective expertise and experience to the table since the initial development phase of smart #1 in 2019.
“We are very happy with the solution we’ve created together with ECARX for the smart #1”, says Dirk Adelmann, CEO of smart Europe. “This is the first smart vehicle that is benefitting from the expertise in tailor made software and hardware integration that ECARX brings into our partnership. We are looking forward to the possibilities opening up for our future products and ultimately for our customers.”
Smart’s new “customer-centric, data-driven” approach extends beyond the intelligent features in the car to encompass all the new forms of ownership that users nowadays expect from a mobility solution provider. In addition to its broad agent dealership network, smart will adopt a fully integrated D2C (direct-to-consumer) and agent-based sales model. The new system’s goal is to keep the complexity of the order process as low as possible, enabling customers to reserve, buy or lease their smart #1 with a few clicks and no paper contracts.
“Now our customers can select the smart #1 version that best fits their needs and define their way of owning or using it,” says Adelman. “We are really looking forward to the positive impact we can make in the industry in general and our customers’ daily lives specifically.”
*Combined electricity consumption in kWh/100 km: 17.9 (BRABUS), 16.7 (Premium), 17.0 (Pro+) (WLTP); Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 0;
Electric range (WLTP) in km: 400 (BRABUS), 440 (Premium), 420 (Pro+).