Yikes, they're a bit eye-catching

Indeed, you're looking at the 2017 Smart Electric Drive triplets, finished in the 'electric drive design package', which is, thankfully, optional. The big news here, however, is the introduction of electric power to all three of the company's body shapes, so, from early next year, buyers can choose an all-electric Smart Fortwo, Cabrio or Forfour.

Neat, they look fun.

And they should be, within urban confines in any case. At the back, driving the rear wheels, is an 81hp electric motor that also produces 160Nm from rest. That should give the cars sharp off-the-line acceleration, though that's not reflected in the 0-62mph times (as low as 11.5 seconds, for the Smart Electric Drive Fortwo) and the top speed is limited to 80mph.

Ah, mostly for town use then. How far on a charge?

Smart says that the Electric Drive Fortwo will do 100 miles on a full charge, while the Cabrio and Forfour will travel a little less far. However, depending on the power supply, the charge time could be as low as 45 minutes for all three cars.

When can I see more?

The doors open to the Paris Motor Show to the public on October 1st, where the Smart Electric Drive cars will make their world debut. We expect them to hit the UK in the first quarter of 2017, though no prices have been released as yet.

Shane O' Donoghue - 22 Sep 2016