Smart #1 EV gets Brabus treatment – hot compact SUV EV to have over 400 hp



Shortly after the #1 went on sale in China, Smart has now unveiled a new performance-oriented version of the model, courtesy of upgrades from in-house tuner Brabus. Dubbed the Smart #1 Brabus, the souped-up fully-electric compact SUV will make its official debut at the Chengdu Motor Show, later this month.

The Smart #1 Brabus gets a number of variant-specific design touches to distinguish it from the standard models, including a sportier front bumper, unique front grille, larger rear spoiler, as well as the aggressively-styled 19-inch alloy wheels.

New additional “nostril” vents below the bonnet edge seem to suggest the performant nature of the #1 Brabus despite it not having an engine, while the entire car is also finished in the “traditional” sporty colour combination of red, black, and matte grey – the latter also applied to the emblems and badges all around the exterior.

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The interior is also suitably spiced up, with new black microfibre suede upholstery on the seats, red cross stitching and accent trims, red seatbelts, additional Brabus badging on the Alcantara and leather-wrapped steering wheel, and new “metal pedals” coming as standard.

Most importantly, however, is that the spicier Smart #1 here will actually come with performance upgrades, unlike the Brabus-tuned Mercedes-Benz EQS. Details are still scarce at the moment, but the company says the Smart #1 Brabus will boast “class-beating performance”, with output figures over the 400 hp (approx. 300 kW) mark according to recent rumours from China, translating to a 0-100 km/h sprint time of roughly 3.7 seconds.

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The performance gain comes courtesy of an additional electric motor on the front axle, giving the Smart #1 Brabus an all-wheel drive driveline. In contrast, the standard Smart #1 comes with a single rear-mounted electric motor offering 272 hp (200 kW) and 343 Nm of torque, enabling a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 6.7 seconds.

Alongside the amped-up performance, the Brabus-tuned Smart #1 is also rumoured to get a larger battery than the standard #1. For context, the standard model features 66 kWh of capacity offering a range of up to 440 km (WLTP cycle).


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