Blending elements of rigorous automotive and interior design, this concept car may look like a streamlined vehicle but is more akin to a communal living room on wheels on the inside.
Unveiled by Mercedes-Benz at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, features include 360-degree swiveling seats for conversing and viewing, individual touchscreen displays and interactive gesture-based interfaces for driving and recreating alike.
The exterior presents as a classy and aerodynamic sports car with carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, aluminium and steel. Within, walnut, leather and glass make for a a likewise-luxurious but human-oriented set of materials and finishes. Effectively, it is optimized for its respective purposes of forming a private shelter outside and a cozy habitat on the inside.
Of the design and its direction, Dieter Zetsche notes that “Anyone who focuses solely on the technology has not yet grasped how autonomous driving will change our society. The car is growing beyond its role as a mere means of transport and will ultimately become a mobile living space.”
The open question remains: how much will cars of the future even look like cars on the outside? As platooning and other hive-like concepts are further explored, we may find vehicles look far different down the line than we might imagine. Still, as a step toward the next generation of community-minded cars, it is a compelling vision.
