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This is the Mercedes-Benz Vision Tokyo concept and it's not so much a car, more a lounge on wheels. It is being debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show and is, in many ways, the ideal sort of vehicle for the Japanese megacity... or at least, it would be in a semi-utopian, highly automated near-future Tokyo that is overpopulated by a mix of robots and technology-dependent humans.
Sorry, we digress. Clearly an evolution of the F 015 'Luxury in Motion' concept The Boss (that's Shane not Bruce) drove (or rather, was driven in) over in San Francisco earlier this year, the Vision Tokyo builds on that car's autonomous set-up. Mercedes itself calls it a 'hip living space, a chill-out zone in the midst of megacity traffic mayhem'. Well, quite.
The interior is accessed by one huge gullwing door on the left-hand side of the vehicle, which has been purposely designed in terms of safety for a right-hand drive market like Japan. Occupants will then find nothing as archaic as a couple of rows of chairs, the five seats within instead arranged in the form of a large, semi-circular couch. This allows everyone to enjoy the connectivity and unique travel experience the Vision Tokyo provides; on the former score, apps, maps and displays connected to the infotainment system are projected as three-dimensional holograms in the middle of the cabin. Further tech overload comes in the form of wraparound LED screens behind the passengers and back-lit, perforated seats. Funky.
Essentially, the Vision Tokyo is an autonomous car which can drive itself, although a steering wheel and 'jump seat' control position can be employed if someone wants to steer the Mercedes (presumably because his or her companions in the lounge area at the rear are all frightful bores who are solely focused on their smartphones and apps).
Underneath, it has the same hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric drive system as the F 015, with its high-voltage battery capable of being charged wirelessly via induction. Expect in the region of 272hp and 400Nm, with a range of 980km in total (190km on the battery and 790km courtesy of electricity generated by the fuel cell). Perhaps its best feature is that, with Deep Machine Learning and an intelligent Predictive Engine, the Vision Tokyo adapts over each and every journey to better suit the preferences of its occupants, and indeed it comes to know its passengers themselves as well.
If you think we're giving short shrift to the exterior, then please forgive us - the Vision Tokyo is 4.8 metres long, 2.1 metres wide and 1.6 metres tall. It sits on 26-inch wheels (like the F 015) and various surfaces/exterior lines are illuminated in blue. It's finished in Alubeam metallic and the windows are screen-printed in the same colour - allowing for a view out but ultimate privacy within. The front of the Mercedes can display a series of different lighting functions, while at the back, the rear window is set into a ring of red LED cubes.
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Tokyo has a population of nine million spread across 622 square kilometres - making it physically smaller than Paris, yet with four times the number of people crammed into its confines. Therefore, Mercedes believes the city is the ideal place to show off such a car as the Vision Tokyo, with Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Daimler AG, adding: "The Mercedes-Benz Vision Tokyo embodies the concept of an automotive lounge for a future generation of megacities. The purity and sensuality of the Vision Tokyo's styling defines a new interpretation of modern luxury from Mercedes-Benz."
Want to see more? Then watch this short video of the concept.
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