They criticised the recently-revealed electric Mercedes GLC, as seen at the Munich motor show. Proclaimed to be the return of the ‘big grille’ look for Mercedes, it ended up looking a bit like an elephant wearing Groucho Marx ‘tache and glasses. It’s hard to make a big, upright, classic Mercedes grille work in a modern shape.
Or so we thought, right up to the point where Mercedes revealed, at an event in Shanghai, the Vision Iconic. This is every inch the wild concept car, but also a massive, illuminated signpost to the look of the next-generation S-Class.
That new S-Class will — as with the GLC and the incoming new C-Class — be all-electric, and built on Merc’s high-tech new MB.EA platform, and it should be on sale by 2028. It will be accompanied by a heavily updated version of the current, combustion S-Class, just so that Mercedes can hedge its bets against any continuing resistance to electric cars by that time.
Will the new S-Class really look like this striking Vision Iconic? Well, don’t expect a perfect replication of this look for production, but Mercedes’ technology chief, Marcus Schafer did say at the Shanghai event that: “Vision Iconic embodies our vision for the future of mobility.
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“With groundbreaking innovations such as neuromorphic computing, steer-by-wire, solar paint and Level 4 highly automated driving, along with state-of-the-art technology, we are setting new standards for the electric and digital age. This beautiful vehicle is a testament to our commitment to making the mobility of tomorrow a reality today.”
That grille harks back to classic Mercedes models from the 1960s 600 ‘Grosser’ limousine, all the way back to the 1900 Mercedes 35hp, the first car to bear the famous name. That car was designed, for the Benz company, by Wilhelm Maybach and Paul Daimler and Maybach’s influence is writ large on the inside of the Vision Iconic, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
In the meantime, once you’ve drunk in the backlit grille and Mercedes star, the flowing lines, and the rounded rear which is meant to reference the 1955 300SL Gullwing, there’s the tech to consider.
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From stem to stern, the Vision Iconic is not painted black, but is actually covered in ‘solar paint’ which uses tech that Merc is investigating; solar modules that could be seamlessly applied to the body of electric vehicles, similar to a wafer-thin paste and blended with paint.
It’s not production-ready yet, but Mercedes claims that around 35-square metres of this stuff (roughly the surface area of a large SUV) could provide enough charge for 12,000km each year, in ‘ideal conditions’ (and we assume those conditions are closer to California than Cavan).
Next is the neuromorphic computing — that’s a computer whose internal circuitry is designed to mimic the way our human brains work. Mercedes isn’t trying to create cars with human personalities, but instead to design computing systems which can handle the massive demands of future autonomous driving set-ups without needing huge amounts of electric energy. A neuromorphic computer is more efficient than a traditional computer, you see.
Then there’s the steer-by-wire set-up, which is designed to integrate better with the Vision Iconic’s rear-wheel steering and its robot driving systems. That’s one thing — along with the light-up Mercedes star on the grille — that you can probably expect to see in production by 2028. Merc speaks of the Vision Iconic using ‘Level 2’ autonomous driving in town — which is the level of autonomy most cars currently achieve on the motorway — and fully hands-off ‘Level 4’ autonomy outside of town.
Such autonomy would allow the Vision Iconic’s two occupants not merely to enjoy the sumptuous blue velvet bench seat in the cabin, nor the mother-of-pearl trim, but also the dramatic ‘Zeppelin’ glass structure of the dashboard. This is both a touchscreen and a sort of artistic display area, home to a set of none-more-steampunk analogue instruments as well as digital assistants and displays. This is where Maybach re-enters the equation. As well as designing engines for the original Mercedes models, Maybach also made power plants for the Zeppelin company and its airships…
The steering wheel — which looks as if it could have come from the Mercedes racer which won the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup in Kildare and Carlow — has four massive spokes, and a Mercedes badge floating in a glass globe at the centre.
Mercedes has even created a coffee table book about its design history to accompany the Vision Iconic, and a range of clothing — six specific outfits, actually — which go with the car.
How realistic is this concept? Not massively, perhaps — as witnessed by the fact that Mercedes hasn’t made a peep about how fast, how powerful, nor how rangey it might be on one charge — but the upright grille, the inset lights, and the general sense of art deco grace should all be present and correct on the 2028 electric S-Class.
“Inspired by the golden era of automotive design of the 1930s, this show car embodies the pure essence of Mercedes-Benz. With its hood giving it a majestic presence, sculptural flowing lines and a touch of Art Deco, it rises to become a true icon of automotive beauty.
The interior, with its continuous bench seat and the elegant rear, evoking memories of the legendary 300 SL. Our Vision Iconic is more than just an automobile – it is a sculpture in motion, an homage to timeless elegance and a statement for the future. The symbiosis of traditional craftsmanship, state-of-the-art technology and an unmistakable design language makes it the ultimate expression of value, prestige and grace: the most beautiful, most prestigious kind of thing” said Gordon Wagener, head of Mercedes design.
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