Revealed just yesterday at the start of of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the autonomous Mercedes-Benz F015 Luxury in Motion concept gives a possible glimpse of the German brand’s ambitions to put a totally self-driving car into real-world production.
In terms of design, Mercedes-Benz says autonomous driving opens up new freedoms, where the car becomes a “precious, private retreat”, particularly in urban traffic.
Current vice president of design Gorden Wagener, who has been at the helm of the globally operating design unit of Daimler since mid-2008, has gone so far as to describe the four-door concept car as “the highest expression of emotion and intelligence”.
Mr Wagener, when you look back at the conceptual phase – what were the key parameters for the F015 Luxury in Motion?
Taking as our premise the concept of autonomous driving, we came up with the vision of a car which in the guise of a large, very progressive and highly aesthetic saloon makes the hallmark Mercedes concept of “modern luxury” tangible in all its facets. We wanted to design a luxurious vehicle with a lounge-like ambience in the interior, which combines sensuality with purity in a very special way and appeals equally to the intellect and to the emotions, thereby exerting a natural appeal. In addition, its exterior had to signal its visionary and pioneering character at first glance.
New design freedoms – how did the design team use them?
The F015 Luxury in Motion demonstrates an extremely progressive design idiom with its elongated mono volume. The total integration of the ‘Space Flow’ profile is revolutionary. A taut line runs from the grille over the roof into the tail end, and thus integrates the classic components bonnet, cabin and boot into one volume. In the interior we had the freedom to create generous space with a luxurious, modern lounge character, which thanks to displays integrated all around makes a continuous exchange of information between the vehicle, the passengers and the outside world possible.
What are the core design elements that make the new research vehicle from Mercedes-Benz unmistakeable?
With our design idiom of sensuous clarity we have created unique progressive aesthetics. In addition to the complete integration of the ‘Space Flow’ profile, it is above all the unusual proportions that make the F015 Luxury in Motion immediately unmistakable. The front-end design also leaves not the shadow of a doubt that this is an entirely new kind of vehicle. All lighting functions are combined within a dominant Mercedes radiator grille contour. This gives us the opportunity to widen the grille as a trademark across the entire front, and thus to design it prominently as a stand-alone styling element. What’s more: it makes it usable as a digital display at the same time.
What functions did you have in mind for the LED communications field?
It has two primary functions. Firstly, the three-dimensional LED fields provide different lighting functions; and secondly, the intelligent vehicle uses them to communicate and interact with the outside world. For example, they show whether the vehicle is currently in blue – autonomous – driving mode or white – manual – driving mode; or when a pedestrian has been registered on the edge of the road. The large LED module at the rear offers the same communication capability for traffic following the vehicle.
On the outside, the F015 Luxury in Motion comes across as a monolithic, sculpture-like object. How did the design team give it this character?
We were able to create the monolithic appearance of the exterior – as if hewn from a single piece – in particular through doing without conventional windscreen and window design. The flush-fitting side windows have an almost mirror-like appearance thanks to their extremely finely-patterned surface. As they are close in colour to the cool, technical appearance of the alubeam paint finish of the vehicle body, the transition from the windows to the bodywork is almost imperceptible. In addition, there are neither exterior mirrors nor visible A-, B- or C-pillars to interfere with the overall impression of a sensual, object-like sculpture. Likewise, the door system is barely perceptible thanks to its fine lines. The vehicle epitomises a total reduction in an especially emotional way.
How does the design idiom of the exterior differ from that of the interior, and where do they converge?
The core concept in our design philosophy – namely the fusing of sensuousness with clarity – can be clearly seen in both the exterior and the interior. Where the exterior was concerned, we wanted primarily to create a futuristic appearance that unambiguously and unmistakeably represented the visionary character of the F015 Luxury in Motion. This is done with flowing lines that stand in contrast to the monolithic, sculptured vehicle body. In the interior we focused on comfort, an extraordinary sense of space, and the luxurious lounge character. The displays allowing non-stop, all-round information and interaction link the analogue and digital worlds together. The lounge chairs, through the contrasting white soft leather and highly-polished aluminium materials used, convey this fusion of sensuality with clarity in a particularly striking way. And the innovative door system, with its wide-opening doors that open out the other way to conventional doors provides the link between exterior and interior in a very concrete way.
What is your own personal favourite detail?
The vehicle has so many highlights that it is a difficult question to answer. I believe that in the F015 Luxury in Motion we have created the perfect symbiosis of the virtual and the real world, and have packed the most intelligent solution in a highly aesthetic design. With this vehicle we have defined the luxury of the future.
Source: Mercedes-Benz
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