Milton Keynes, 9 May 2023: The all-new smart #1 has been awarded two prestigious design prizes by international expert juries. In addition to the Red Dot Award for product design the premium all-electric compact SUV won the iF Design Award, known for honouring outstanding design and social engagement, in the Product – Automobiles/Vehicles category.
In the smart #1 development phase, the Mercedes-Benz global design team and the smart Research & Development team worked together closely to explore the perfect balance between interior and exterior design and the overall performance of the smart #1. A successful approach: The smart #1 is compact on the outside, spacious on the inside and has a battery range of up to 440 km[1].
Thanks to its design philosophy, the smart #1 features a pure and elegant streamlined exterior, a perfect mixture of aesthetics and aerodynamics. Features like concealed door handles, a floating halo roof and frameless doors make the smart #1’s design outstanding in its segment. From every angle there is a new detail to explore. The space to footprint ratio is pushed to a maximum: with its 4270 mm length, a wheelbase of 2750 mm and up to 19-inch rims the smart #1 offers an impressive interior space. With the design of the #1, smart stays true to the brand’s tradition: smart has dared to be different from the very beginning.
Connection is the guiding principle of the #1’s design concept: with its high level of connectivity features, it provides solutions to connect people, places, and experiences – while ensuring a tailored and convenient user experience. This way, the smart #1 puts drivers at the centre. The infotainment user interface relies on purposeful and human-centred technology and features an avatar as an intelligent companion via voice control.
In addition, different bold and subtle colour choices give the car an individual character that matches its users. With its unique design, its premium equipment and the individualisation options for appearance and features, the smart #1 manages to provide its drivers with new, differentiating and valuable experiences on many levels.
“To receive the Red Dot Award and the iF Design Award is a wonderful recognition of the work we invested in the development of the smart #1 design concept,” says Xuan-Zheng Goh, Head of Product Management at smart Europe. “It shows that we have created a truly unique vehicle with convincing contrasts. Elements like the frameless doors and the floating halo roof add a premium factor to a seamless high-tech sculpture.”
“Our further developed design philosophy underlines the premium aspect of smart. We are very proud that our #1 has now received two of the world’s most recognised design awards – The Red Dot Award in the Product Design category and the IF Design Award in the Product – Automobiles/Vehicles category,” says Kai Sieber, Head of Design smart Mercedes-Benz AG.
In 2023, the smart #1 will enter all European markets that smart currently operates in. After a successful market entry in Germany, the premium all-electric SUV will also launch in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, the UK, Sweden, Norway and Iceland.
