The Chinese are coming. Well, none of their powerful 2 million active soldiers, but thousands of electric cars that are made in China are on their way to Ireland. We already have MG who are part of the Frank Keane Group, while Motor Distributors Limited (MDL) are looking after distribution of BYD and Smart cars. Smart already have #1 and #3 while electric cars from another Chinese company called Xpeng will soon be available via MDL. The first Xpeng model to go on sale here early in 2025 will be the G6 SUV.
The EU is not happy with this Chinese invasion and neither are workers at VW plants in Germany some of which are threatened with closure and there is talk of strikes in Germany and tariffs being imposed by the EU. However, many of the big European manufacturers also have plants in China, while BYD is already building a new plant in Hungary to avoid any possible tariffs.
When Smart introduced their ‘Fortwo’ car at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1997 it could only accommodate two people, but now Geely and Mercedes have made the car a proper five-seater. The idea for a small two-person car was started in 1982 by Nicolas Hayek the founder of Swatch watches. He had an idea for a new car using the same type of manufacturing strategies used to popularise Swatch watches.
Hayek, a Swiss business of Lebanese descent, died in 2010 but his legacy lives on and now Mercedes, in partnership with Chinese company Geely, have brought us a range of Smart fully electric cars that can accommodate five adults in comfort.
I drove the Smart #1 earlier this year and last week I got to test the high performance Brabus version of Smart #3. But who is Brabus?
Brabus is a company established in 1977 in Germany by friends Bodo Buschmann and Klaus Brackmann who began by modifying Mercedes models for higher performance. The company’s standard of work is so good that the cars all come with Mercedes factory warranties. In 2001 the company set up a joint venture with Mercedes to tune and tweak Smart models for sale through official channels, a collaboration which continues today.
The Brabus is so fast, when you press the accelerator it’s like a greyhound coming out of the traps and the official time for zero to 100km/h is 3.7 seconds.
In May this year MDL introduced the Smart #3, saying there would be five versions available: Pro; Pro+; Premium; a 25th anniversary edition and a #3 Brabus. At 4.4 metres long, it’s a fairly substantial car.
The 12.3-inch infotainment system on the dash certainly takes a bit of getting used to. Boot capacity of 370 litres can be increased to 1,160 litres when the 60:40-split rear seats are folded. There is a very small ‘frunk’ at the front of the car.
With a 66kWh battery, the Brabus has a claimed range of 415km, which I think is fairly accurate.
Like other electric cars there is no grille, but I don’t think the front is a bland as some other electric cars I have driven in recent months. My test car was white with a black roof, topped off with 20-inch Synchro alloys.
The handles on the door are very discreet and pop out when you approach the car after unlocking it. The boot is about average for a car of this size.
My wife said she really liked the Micro Fiber suede seats, much more comfortable than leather ones she said. The seats have red stitching and then the sun-roof also brightens up the interior. You also get red seat belts which look great.
Price start at €38,714 for the entry level Pro model, which has an approximate range of 330km, while the fast Brabus will cost you €56,500. Road tax is €120.
The Smart #1 had a fox image on the dash; there is no Smart #2 and the fox has been has been replaced by a cheetah on the Smart #3.
