Smart to stay EV-only... but don't rule out a #5 hybrid

Smart became a pure-electric brand in 2020, but recently there’s been some speculation that the half-German, half-Chinese outfit’s commitment to EVs is wavering, and that hybrids will be joining its line-up soon. However this is not the case, at least in the UK and Europe.

In an exclusive interview with Auto Express, Smart UK CEO Jason Allbutt said: “We are currently an electric-only brand and we plan to stay that way in the short term.”

The brand’s boss quickly added, “As always, if we see market demands that require other options, then, of course, we'll be foolish not to look at them. But right now, plans are that we are staying an electric-only brand in Europe.”

Today, Smart is half owned by Mercedes, who helped create the brand, and half owned by the Chinese conglomerate Geely, meaning it’s part of the same family as Lotus and Volvo. Both of Smart’s sister brands backtracked on plans to go all-electric last year, and are launching new ‘range-extender’ plug-in hybrid powertrains to suit customers’ demands.

There have been reports about a plug-in hybrid version of the new Smart #5 – the brand’s latest, and largest, model. However, if these are true, it seems that any PHEV would (at least initially) only be offered in China, where demand for plug-in hybrids has grown significantly.

“We're aware that [interest in] the likes of plug-in hybrids is growing for sure – and in range extenders to a much lesser extent right now,” Allbutt told us, “But I think for us, we're just watching right now just to understand, actually, is that definitely the right place to be?

“Because of course, there are some longer-term elements, particularly across Europe as a whole, [where] I guess the ultimate goal is just electric vehicles,” he said. “And of course, that's where the UK Government's heading to for 2035 as well. So for us right now, EVs seem to be the most logical place to be.”

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