New Electric SMART SUV – the SMART #1 – teased ahead of next week’s debut

As the debut of the new electric Smart SUV – the Smart #1 – nears, the Mercedes-Geely joint venture teases its arrival.

In case you hadn’t noticed, Smart is now a joint venture between Mercedes and Geely, and it’s moving away from building tiny city cars like the ForTwo – and bigger ones like the ForFour – and is moving in to the electric compact SUV world with the new Smart #1 (yes, that really is its name).

The Smart #1 was previewed last year with the Smart SUV Concept, and it’s grown considerably compared to anything we’ve seen from Smart before – it’s about the size of the MINI Countryman – and sits on Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA).

It looks like the production version of the Smart #1 will stick quite closely to the Concept, although you can expect the suicide doors and big alloys to make way for more practical elements, although the flush door handles and active grille will remain.

Inside, the new Smart #1 will come with a more practical three-seat backbench, but it’s likely the 12.8″ infotainment screen on the concept will remain.

Smart isn’t revealing any details on what will power the #1, although rumours say it will come with a 70kWh battery good for range of up to 300 miles and decent performance.

It’s likely we’ll get more details in the coming days, but all will be revealed when the new SMart #’1 debuts on 7 April.