Low, long and simply demanding that Batman be its next owner, this is the Vision Iconic by Mercedes-Benz, a dramatic statement in retro-future styling just unveiled to a jaw-dropped crowd in Shanghai. Influence is art deco automobile design from the 1930s, updated with drive by wire steering, full driving automation and paintwork that harnesses the power of the sun. And yes, it would draw admiring gazes in your driveway. Probably.
Hugely long bonnet rivals that of the Jaguar E-Type, dramatically narrowing glass house resolves into a rear that echoes that of the celebrated Gullwing 300 SL of the 1950s. Viewed from the front, the imposing take on classic vertical Merc grille is said to have been inspired by the Mercedes-Benz 600 limousine, so beloved of pop stars and heads of state in the 1960s. They’d have liked the multiple LEDs embedded in the grille, so that the less privileged know you’re coming. Adjacent headlamps boast Merc's three-pointed star just to make the point.
Those few Shanghai jaws that didn’t drop when the covers came off the Vision Iconic must have hit the floor when the doors of this startling concept were opened. Mother of pearl marquetry features to door panels, door handles are in polished brass. Dashboard is a ferociously analogue pillar-to-pillar glass cylinder that animates as you enter. Mercedes bosses like to call this glazed cylinder the “Zeppelin”, naturally. Seating is in deep blue velvet. Carpets? Of course not: designers went with straw marquetry in a fan shaped design. It is you might say steam punk luxury.
Vision Iconic: Cutting-edge tech
But the Vision Iconic, like every concept car should, also showcases the very latest in actual or envisaged technology. Unadorned four spoke steering wheel might reference 1930s motoring but is linked to a steer-by-wire system using both front and rear wheels. Helpful in parallel parking. That lustrous black paintwork would be a photovoltaic-active surface, containing tiny solar modules currently being researched, and designed so that the entire exterior becomes one large solar panel, potentially powering electric motors.
Then there’s who exactly is driving the Vision Iconic. Mercedes-Benz tell us that - deep breath - “neuromorphic computing revolutionises energy efficiency and latency in autonomous driving”. Also still being researched, idea is that the Vision Iconic’s computer systems mimic the human brain with savings in energy and benefits in more accuracy. And that the last thing you’ll be doing is using that steering wheel. Still, it looks good.
The Mercedes-Benz Vision Iconic would be quite the statement among the more everyday supercars outside the Dorchester on London’s Park Lane. Thing is that’s just what we expect it to be in the future: parked. Mercedes have no plans to make the Vision Iconic, even to billionaire special order. So, what about those Mercedes-Benz 600 limousines that partly inspired the Vision Iconic? John Lennon had one. David Bowie too. We’d advise putting aside £150,000, more if you insist on installing straw marquetry flooring. Cocktails at the Dorchester bar on us.
Next up: The best Mercedes-Benz cars of all time.
