Smart brand officially returns to Australia; cars to arrive from September

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UPDATE: Smart return confirmed!

It's now official: the Smart brand is returning to Australia with deliveries of a two model lineup set to commence from September.

Officially confirmed this morning by dealer group LSH Auto International, Smart's return will see it offer two all-electric models in the Smart #1 small SUV and the larger Smart #3 crossover.

High performance Brabus versions of both models will also be sold.

Pricing and local specifications of the new models will be revealed next month, according the LSH, while order books will open from July.

LSH will be the sole importer of Smart vehicles in Australia, with the brand's return set to be showcased in dealerships in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

The Smart city-car brand is set for a surprise return to Australian showrooms.

Official confirmation of the plan is expected next week to confirm Smart's return to Australia through the local arm of LSH Auto International, which claims to be the largest Mercedes-Benz passenger car dealer group with more than 240 dealerships globally.

The Smart brand was previously on sale here between 2003 and 2015 under the Mercedes-Benz umbrella, before it was axed owing to dwindling sales.

Smart started in 1994 as a joint venture between Swiss watchmaker Swatch and Mercedes and was most renowned for its diminutive Fortwo – one of the world's smallest cars at just 2.5 metres long. It was later joined by Roadster and Forfour models.

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It’s unclear which Smart models will be offered here, with the brand now 50 percent owned by Geely with Mercedes-Benz owning the remaining half.

In 2022 the Smart #1 (‘hashtag one’) electric compact SUV was introduced, manufactured in China using Geely’s SEA platform shared with the Volvo EX30 and Zeekr X SUVs.

A second, larger SUV was launched in 2023 – the Smart #3 – using the same underpinnings as the Smart #1 but with a more coupe-like liftback body.

Smart's Concept #5 rugged SUV made its official debut at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in February as its largest vehicle yet.

Mercedes-Benz Australia had no comment on the news of Smart's return, while Geely – owner of Volvo, Polestar and Zeekr brand (also planned for Australia) – does not operate locally but is currently hiring for an expected 2025 brand launch of its own.

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It’s also not confirmed whether Smart vehicles will be sold using the Mercedes-Benz agency model, also used by Honda and Tesla in Australia, across LSH Auto Australia’s 11 sites in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

In February 2024, Smart reaffirmed its commitment to introduce a new model each year between 2022 and 2025 in new segments, with global expansion into markets in the Middle East and South Asia, including Singapore and Hong Kong.

Geely’s investment since 2019 has seen a significant change of direction for the former city-car only brand with a move into larger, electric vehicles.

Smart's early success in Australia was driven by demand from small businesses looking to capitalise on the head-turning size of the Fortwo.

Sales, however, declined from its 2005 peak of 799 sales to only 108 in 2014. In an effort to reduce the slide, retailing moved from bricks and mortar showrooms to online only in 2013.

The departure of the brand saw Mercedes-Benz Australian dealers continue to offer service and parts for the roughly 4500 Smart cars sold here over 12 years.