Apparently tired of chasing sales volumes and racing to the bottom, Mercedes-Benz is focusing sharply on the market with the Vision Iconic concept, which will debut at Shanghai Fashion Week. This menacing luxury coupe combines some radical new ideas with a surprisingly elegant design.
The show car is long and low and has an endless hood. He refers to sports cars from Mercedes past and present, such as the 300SL with gull-wing doors, SLS AMG and AMG GT. The Vision Iconic also features the brand’s controversial ‘iconic grille’, finished in chrome and supersized to almost cartoonish proportions.
Funny that, because the illuminated grille – which looked almost comically on the GLC EV – seems right at home here, reminiscent of the upright grilles of the W108, the W111 and the iconic 600 ‘Grosser’. Also illuminated here is the three-pointed star, mounted in the traditional ‘gunsight’ position above the bonnet.
The grille is flanked by Mercedes’ flashy Tristar headlights, though the rest of the car is rather subdued with only the vertical fender vents, large turbine-style wheels, recessed door handles (for the likely rear-opening doors) and sleek taillight bars adorning the opulent bodywork.
Incidentally, the deep black ‘paint’ is actually a solar panel-like coating that is claimed to produce enough electricity on a mid-size SUV to travel up to 12,000 km per year, as well as containing no rare earths or silicon and being easily recyclable.
All the decor is clearly reserved for the bizarre Art Deco interior, which Mercedes calls “hyper-analog.” The idea is that highly automated driving will turn car cabins into lounges, with more emphasis on creating experiences for the occupants.
To that end, the Vision Iconic features a glass cigar-shaped dashboard, known as the Zeppelin, with graceful chronograph-inspired analog instruments that perform an animation when a door is opened. There are also no fewer than four clocks in the center (one actually functions as a visualization for the AI-powered voice control) and an unexplained metal cylinder with a topological pattern.
Elsewhere you’ll find intricate mother-of-pearl inlays on the dashboard and doors, as well as the striking, almost ship-like four-spoke steering wheel. The latter, which also features a glass hub with the Mercedes logo, is connected to a ‘steer-by-wire’ system and rear-wheel steering to reduce the turning circle and eliminate the need to repeatedly turn the steering wheel.
Despite being just a concept, Mercedes says the Vision Iconic will come with enhanced Level 2 semi-autonomous city driving as standard, with the option to add Level 4 highly automated highway driving. Because they do not have to actively drive the car, the occupants can enjoy blue bench seats. Once the journey ends, the Vision Iconic can take over the parking duties, thanks to Level 4 parking, regardless of the infrastructure.
At the basis of all this is a ‘neuromorphic’ computer that would imitate the functionality of the human brain. This allows for faster and more efficient AI-based calculations, resulting in faster driver assistance responses, a tenfold improvement in efficiency and a 90% reduction in energy consumption for autonomous driving functions.
Obviously the Vision Iconic will never go into production, but some design features could influence the next electric S-Class – replacing the much-maligned EQS – and its possible coupe derivative. What do you think of the Batmobile-esque styling? Let us know in the comments.
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