Mercedes pushes to extremes with a concept van coming to this year's Tokyo Motor Show.
In a market all-but owned by Japanese domestic manufacturers, foreign makers have largely ignored the Tokyo Motor Show in recent years. But Mercedes-Benz has decided to weigh in this time with a concept vehicle it calls, “a vision for future generations.”
A quick look at the accompanying teaser would suggest it’s just a minivan, but knowing Mercedes, we can expect a lot more than just a roomy interior, and will likely see the German maker pick up some of the themes it has touched on in recent times with other concepts such as the F 015 Luxury in Motion and the Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile, or IAA, revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show last month.
That is likely to translate into some intriguing new technologies, perhaps in terms of autonomous driving, but the Tokyo concept might also feature an advanced infotainment system, as well as an alternative powertrain.
Tokyo has traditionally brought out some of the industry’s most advanced – and, quite often, its most eccentric – concept vehicles. So, few would be surprised to see Mercedes take things to extremes, no easy task considering the technologies it showed off in the form of the F 015 show car revealed last January at the Detroit Auto Show.
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Enter the future? The Mercedes-Benz F 015's windows double as video screens inside.
That bubble-shaped alternative to the classic S-Class featured an enormous interior that could be transformed into the rolling equivalent of a living room.
Switched to autonomous mode, front seat passengers could swivel around to face those in the rear. And while driving through, say, an industrial zone, occupants could opt for a more attractive view by projecting different images on windows that doubled as video screens.
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The Tokyo van concept will pick up on the autonomous theme, offering even more interior space, more technology, and – the oddsmakers are betting – another clean powertrain system, perhaps similar to the 268-horsepower hydrogen fuel-cell package introduced in the F 015.
A closer look at the Tokyo teaser image reveals a steeply raked windshield and strong wheel arches. It’s unclear whether there are windows behind that windshield. If so, they are all but certain to be electronically dimmable and likely to dual as video screens.
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For its part, the German maker isn’t saying much ahead of time, just hinting the show vehicle will be, “luxurious, autonomous and progressive.”