“With the new smart #1 we achieved a clear, distinctive, and sporty look with which we were able to create something unique and special that you have never seen before”, states Michael Gebhardt, Head of Creation smart, when asked what to expect from the completely new design approach.
The challenge, as always, was to create a car with the most beautiful shape, without following in anyone else’s footsteps. To create something new, something completely different from what has been done before. As design – and car design in particular – is driven by new technologies, with the new electric platform of the smart #1, there was an opportunity to completely redefine space.
Three pillars provide the framework of the innovative design philosophy: Love, Pure, and Unexpected. ‘Love’ symbolizes the nice surfaces, the full volumes of the new smart #1, while ‘Pure’ describes all the refined elements, where new ground has been broken. ‘Unexpected’ encompasses all the elements that are completely new and different: Clearly unexpected, like the greenhouse with the new halo roof.
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The interior of the new smart #1
A pure built for electrifying space
Speaking of redefining space, since the smart #1 is purely electric, it does not need a combustion engine at the front or the rear, so there is no overhang on either side. This allowed for focusing only on the driver and the interior, reducing the footprint to just 4.27m while maintaining a huge interior comparable to that of a Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
Cutting-edge approaches bring their own challenges, “the first was to translate the design DNA from a small car – the smart fortwo – into a bigger car. And I think we achieved this with our smart #1”, Michael Gebhardt continues. While the nature of the new smart brand is to be fully electric, the mission remains the same: To be the best in the body-to-space index.
