New Smart sedan looks like a Dodge.

Smart just revealed a brand-new sedan that looks a lot like a new Dodge. A large sedan that is even longer than a Honda Accord. Which basically defeats the whole purpose of a Smart in the first place.

Of course, Smart has slowly been introducing larger models. These have rather successfully managed to fit within the quirky small-car brand image of Smart. They still felt playful, slightly unconventional, and appropriately scaled for what the brand represents. But now, we have this. A conservative, large new sedan that should never have been introduced under the Smart brand. It just feels completely disconnected from everything Smart used to stand for. Why???

The Smart brand is 50% owned by the Chinese car company Geely (the other half is owned by Mercedes). Geely has a zillion brands that could sell this car. Seriously, an absurd number of them, each with its own positioning. Why Smart? This is a very bizarre and puzzling decision. It almost feels like badge engineering disguised as brand evolution. Apparently, Mercedes was in charge of the exterior design. At least they restrained themselves from adding some huge, ghastly grille to the poor thing, which is honestly a small miracle these days.

To me, the whole thing looks a lot like a modern Dodge. Like a new second generation of the compact Dodge sedan from 10 years ago, just scaled up and smoothed out for current trends. It would actually make a nice new midsize Dodge sedan. It also has a proper hatchback, like the new Charger, which is a genuinely cool and practical feature. That part, at least, feels well thought out and somewhat distinctive.

The new Smart sedan is based on the same architecture as other Geely models, like the Zeekr 007 and Smart’s own #5 model. So underneath, it’s not really anything new or unique to the brand. The first trim introduced is a PHEV, with pure EV versions coming later.

Just like everyone else these days, it uses a small 1.5-liter engine and electric motors. The pure EV range is a very impressive 177 miles. Probably closer to around 140 miles EPA in the real world, which is still pretty fantastic for daily driving. It also means most people would never use the gas engine at all during normal commuting. If they can figure out how to use their new PHEV car correctly and actually plug it in… which, apparently, is still a challenge for a surprising number of owners in the US.

I think this is probably a very nice car. It seems competent, efficient, and reasonably well-designed. It might even be genuinely competitive in its segment. It’s just not a Smart. At all. It feels like a completely different identity wearing a familiar badge, and that disconnect is hard to ignore.