But here we are, just as the show opens to the media, with the new Mercedes Vision Tokyo. The conceptual message of the vehicle reflects the increasingly youthful appeal of the Mercedes-Benz brand and perceptions of it as a stylistically influential design brand.
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Mercedes-Benz will also display winning racing cars, including the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 W05 Hybrid, which achieved 16 wins in 19 races in the 2014 FIA F1 World Championship, and the successor to the SLS AMG, the Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Among other cars are the Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake, which sports stylish lines and versatility, the Mercedes-Maybach S600, the pinnacle in understated class, and the latest model of Mercedes-Benz S300h, Japan’s first clean diesel hybrid model.
Perhaps the best way to describe the latest concept from Daimler is as a van equivalent of the F 015 Luxury in Motion and according to Mercedes-Benz it’s a homage to the urban Generation Z, so it is addressed to those who were born since 1995.
Like Nissan’s Teatro for Dayz concept (also debuting at Tokyo), the Vision Tokyo is a stab at what young drivers in the future will be looking for in their cars. The Vision Tokyo is the brainchild of the designers working within Mercedes-Benz’s global network of Advanced Design Studios.
The dimensions of the Vision Tokyo (length/width/height: 4803/2100/1600 mm) are comparable with those of a mid-series vehicle.
Access is gained through an up-swinging large door on the left-hand side (we’re in Japan, remember?) to reveal a very roomy machine with seats for five, but not in the usual arrangement us older Generations are used to. The perforated seats are back-lit, giving rise to a high-tech ambience that presents an intentional contrast to the soft surface finish of the pale leather.
Should there be a requirement for the Vision Tokyo to be controlled manually rather than it driving autonomously, a seat facing in the direction of travel can be released from the centre of the couch at the front, rather like the “jump seat” in an aircraft cockpit. As such, apps, social media inputs, maps and such are displayed as 3D holograms at the center of the passenger area. (Not to say you necessarily want the people outside your auto to know what you’re listening to, but it’d look cool, at least.) All this is tied to an emissions-free drivetrain that Mercedes says is good for 980 kilometers (609 miles) – 190 kilometers in electric-only mode and another 790 kilometers in the hydrogen fuel cell. CFRP tanks are “envisaged” for in-car hydrogen storage.
I take it this is a self-driving concept?
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The company claims the Vision Tokyo employs both a fuel cell and an onboard induction-charged battery to yield a total operating range of over 600 miles, approximately 120 of which are accomplished on the battery pack alone.
