The Smart #1 EV just made its first public appearance in Malaysia at the ongoing EVx Malaysia 2023 event in Setia City Convention Centre, Shah Alam. Registration of interest for the electric SUV is now open on our shores too, with the local launch set for sometime in Q4 2023.

While the Smart #1 is showcased at the Hap Seng Smart booth near Mercedes-Benz’s show stand at EVx 2023, visitors can only take a look at the exterior of the EV. Unfortunately, the car is locked at the event, so the interior of the SUV can only be peeked through the heavily tinted windows.

Nonetheless, for the Malaysian market, the Smart #1 is said to be offered in both standard and Brabus variants. The regular model is believed to be powered by a single 200kW motor driving the rear wheels that outputs 272PS and 343Nm of torque. This allows the EV to go from 0-100kmph in only 6.7 seconds with a top speed of 180kmph.

As for the more powerful Smart #1 Brabus, it comes with another electric motor at the front – making it all-wheel drive – for a very respectable total output of 428PS and 543Nm of torque. How fast can it complete the century sprint with this kind of setup? A mere 3.9 seconds; very impressive.

Both models of the Smart #1 are said to be packed with a 66kWh lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) battery that offers up to 440km range on the WLTP cycle for the standard variant. This figure goes down to 400km for the higher-powered Brabus model, understandably.

To recap, the Smart #1 is set to be introduced in Malaysia sometime in Q4 2023. You can register your interest for the EV right here, and if you want to see the electric SUV for yourself, you can do so at EVx Malaysia 2023 in Setia City Convention Centre, Shah Alam until tomorrow on 23 July.