Categories: EV News

Smart joins the rush of new brands bringing electric vehicles to Australia in 2024

Published by
Riz Akhtar

Smart Automobile – a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and China’s Geely Holdings – has become the latest car brand to announce it is bringing electric vehicles to the Australian market in 2024.

Smart says it will bring two electric SUV models to the Australia market, the smart #1 and the smart #3, which will be distributed through LSH Auto, the Australian distribution group for Mercedes-Benz. Both vehicles are engineered in Germany and are expected to target the “premium” market, although not necessarily at premium prices.

The move follows recent announcements from Zeekr, Xpeng and Leepmotor which are also offering new EVs to the local market. Smart joint venture partner Geely already has major stakes in brands that are currently available in Australia including Volvo Cars, Polestar, Zeekr, Lotus and more.

Both the smart EV will be offered with a high-performance Brabus version and will include up to 440 km of range with the brand suggesting that the pricing of these premium vehicles will be highly competitive with non-premium EV offerings of a similar size.

Image: Smart

In the UK, the smart #1 is priced from £35,950 which is similarly priced to the BYD Atto 3 which starts at £37,695. For comparison, both these cars are priced under the Tesla Model Y which starts at £44,990. Similarly, the smart #3 starts at £32,950

In the UK, the smart #1 and smart #3 are powered by a 62 kWh battery pack and these are expected to be carried over to the Australian market. 

smart Automobile Co’s global chief marketing officer, Mandy Zhang, shared the significance of this announcement for the brand: “It’s clear that increasing numbers of Australians are drawn to the advantages of EV mobility,” said smart Automobile Co’s global chief marketing officer, Mandy Zhang.

“Entering a growing market with a premium product, presented by a premium partner, is the best possible outcome. We are confident the new smart range will connect with Australian EV needs, and that LSH Auto Australia will add a customer experience that will make the overall proposition extremely attractive.”

LSH Auto Australia currently operates dealerships in many parts of Australia. “The addition of the smart EV range is a natural and exciting progression in offering customers the best premium motoring options across all available technologies,” said LSH Auto Australia’s managing director, John Good.

Orders of the new smart vehicles will open in July for customer deliveries as early as September this year. Local pricing and specifications of both smart models will be available closer to the launch in the coming months.

Recent Posts

Fully Charged: This massive electric truck can battery swap in 4 minutes

Robert returns to Janus Trucks to check out a monstrous electric truck that can swap…

March 17, 2025

“No brand has lost so much value so quickly:” Analysts take stock of Musk and Tesla

Leading analysts downgrade their forecast for Tesla sales, with one saying the brand destruction is…

March 17, 2025

Vehicle to Load: Why electric cars can be uncommonly useful in cyclones

While the technology may not be widely known, V2L has appeared in Australian vehicles since…

March 16, 2025

Xpeng launches lower cost G6 electric SUV, and with faster charging

New 2025 Xpeng G6 electric SUV launches in China with cheaper pricing and faster charging…

March 16, 2025

Supercharger experience just got better for Polestar, BYD and other non-Tesla EVs

Polestar and BYD drivers spot a Tesla supercharger site that allows seamless credit card payments…

March 16, 2025

“Watershed moment:” Record crowds at Australia’s biggest electric vehicle show

Organisers of the Everything Electric show in Sydney last weekend claim a "watershed moment" for…

March 14, 2025