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- Smart
Smart Valuation, Funding & Investors
Smart is valued at $5.3B as of September 2023.
Last Smart valuation
$5.3B
Strategic investment · Sep 2023
Last Smart funding round
$150M
Strategic investment · Sep 2023
Cumulative funding Smart raised
$150M
across 1 funding round
Key investors in Smart
About Smart
Smart is an automotive brand producing compact urban vehicles under a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz Group and Geely, with manufacturing in Hambach, France, and Bovisio-Masciago, Italy. The company offers the smart fortwo coupe, cabriolet, and forfour models, enhanced by BRABUS tuning packages that boost engine output to 109 horsepower from the standard 91-horsepower rear-mounted electric or gasoline powertrains. BRABUS variants feature 18-inch alloy wheels, lowered sports suspension, and exclusive leather interiors in the Xclusive trim. Launched in 1998, Smart vehicles emphasize rear-engine layout for tight parking maneuvers and city navigation across Europe, North America, and Asia.
Founded
1994
HQ
Website
Status
Privately held
Customer focus
B2C
Revenue model
Product sales
Valuation
$5.3B (Sep 2023)
Smart Valuation
Smart is currently valued at $5.3B, based on its strategic investment round in September 2023.
The $150M round was led by Tianqi Lithium.
Smart valuation by funding round
| Date | Stage | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2023 | Strategic investment | $5.3B |
Smart Funding History
Smart has raised a total of $150M across 1 funding round.
Smart funding rounds
| Date | Stage | Investors | Raised | Valuation | Deal Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2023 | Strategic investment | Tianqi Lithium (lead) | $150M | $5.3B | Smart is an electric vehicle joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely Automobile Holdings, established in 2020 to develop premium compact EVs. Its models include the smart #1 coupe SUV launched in China, Germany, and France, and the smart #3 which entered the Chinese market in June 2023 with European rollout planned for early 2024. In the first half of 2023, Smart delivered 23,540 units in China, securing a leading position in its segment, while European deliveries began ramping up from March. Tianqi Lithium, a major Chinese lithium producer, led Smart's Series A funding round announced in July 2023, planning to raise $250-300 million total. Tianqi invested $150 million for a 2.83% stake, implying a post-money valuation of $5.3 billion for Smart. The deal closed around September 13-14, 2023, as confirmed by multiple announcements, with Mercedes-Benz's stake adjusting to 43.397% and Geely-related entities at 39.057% and 4.340%. The investment supports Smart's global expansion and long-term sustainable development, accelerating business operations amid its Series A pursuit. Beyond financing, it fosters upstream-downstream synergy in the new energy chain, with Tianqi gaining downstream exposure for the first time. Concurrently, Tianqi signed strategic agreements with Geely and Mercedes-Benz on lithium battery tech, materials, and software development to promote industry integration. Smart's parents, Mercedes-Benz and Geely, endorsed the fundraising while retaining equal control as major shareholders. The partnership aligns with Tianqi's vertical integration strategy, leveraging its Greenbushes lithium mine and production capacities. |
Who has invested in Smart?
1 investor has backed Smart across its funding rounds, including Tianqi Lithium.
Lead investors include Tianqi Lithium.
Smart Investors
| Investor | HQ | Rounds | Role | First check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all 1 Smart investors. Start Free Trial | ||||
Benchmark 350K+ Funding Rounds and Disclosed VC Valuation Multiples
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Start Free TrialSmart Competitors
Smart competitors include listed companies like XPENG and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, and private ones like Zhiji Auto, Hozon, ENOVATE Motors and Youxia Motors.
| Company | HQ | Status | Revenue | EBITDA | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private | - | - | $4.3B | - | ||
| Private | $831M | - | $4B | 4.8x | ||
| Private | - | - | $3.8B | - | ||
| Private | - | - | $3.4B | - | ||
| Publicly listed | $11B | $156M | $10B | 1.0x | ||
| Publicly listed | $35B | $2B | $12B | 0.4x |
Smart Public Comps
Smart is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Ford Otosan, Volvo Cars, BETA Technologies, Mazda, Joby Aviation, Iveco Group, BAIC BluePark New Energy, Ninebot, Guangzhou Automobile Group and Archer Aviation.
| Last FY | EV/Revenue | EV/EBITDA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EBITDA | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | |
| $17B | $1.3B | 0.5x | 0.4x | 5.8x | 6.5x | |||
| $36B | $2.4B | 0.1x | 0.1x | 2.2x | 1.6x | |||
| $36M | ($730M) | 101.5x | 82.7x | (5.0x) | (9.2x) | |||
| $31B | $1B | 0.1x | 0.1x | 2.0x | 1.5x | |||
| $53M | ($932M) | 85.5x | 44.7x | (4.9x) | (6.4x) | |||
| $15B | $1.6B | 0.6x | 0.5x | 5.2x | 5.3x | |||
| $4.2B | ($501M) | 1.0x | 0.7x | (8.7x) | (22.1x) | |||
| $3.2B | $335M | 0.8x | 0.7x | 7.9x | 7.2x | |||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Smart competitors and their valuation data. Start Free Trial | ||||||||
Common questions about Smart
| When was Smart founded? | Smart was founded in 1994. |
| Where is Smart headquartered? | Smart is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. |
| Is Smart publicly listed? | No, Smart is a private, VC-backed company. |
| What is Smart's valuation? | Smart was last valued at $5.3B in its strategic investment round in September 2023. |
| How much funding has Smart raised? | Smart has raised $150M across 1 funding round. |
| What was Smart's last funding round? | Smart's last funding round was a $150M strategic investment round in September 2023, led by Tianqi Lithium. |
| Who are Smart's investors? | Smart's investors include Tianqi Lithium. |
| Which companies are comparable to Smart? | Companies comparable to Smart include Zhiji Auto, Hozon, ENOVATE Motors, Youxia Motors, XPENG and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles. |
See companies similar to Smart
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