The task of the designers of the Mercedes-Benz F 015 Luxury in Motion was to come up with a completely new concept and design for a luxury sedan: because autonomous driving will create a lot of freedoms of design that can be utilized systematically. The car becomes a precious, private retreat, particularly in ur- ban traffic.
Thus the visionary research vehicle Mercedes-Benz F 015 Luxury in Motion was born, a vehicle which raises comfort and luxury to a new level by offering a maximum of space and a lounge character on the inside. Every facet of the F 015 Luxury in Motion is the utmost reflection of the Mercedes way of inter- preting the terms “modern luxury”, emotion and intelligence. This innovative four-seater is a forerunner of a mobility revolution, and this is immediately apparent from its futuristic appearance. Sensuality and purity, the core ele- ments of the Mercedes-Benz design philosophy, combine to create a unique, progressive aesthetic appeal.
It is immediately apparent that the F 015 represents the vision of a brand new vehicle concept just from its unusual proportions, with a length of 5220 milli-meters, width of 2018 millimeters and height of 1524 millimeters, from its seamless, monolithic exterior, and from its large LED light modules at the front and rear. A range of different lighting functions can be provided through these extensive LED fields. At the same time, the vehicle communicates and interacts with the outside world by means of these LED fields. The display signals to pedestrians that the F 015 has “seen” them. The number plate is replaced by a QR code, making information on the vehicle available to the outside world.
Mercedes- Benz F 015 at CES (photo credit – John Grafman)
This, along with the striking narrow luminescent band on the rear end, makes the vehicle into a “communications center” on wheels. The monolithic impression is emphasized by the absence of exterior mirrors and the flush-fitting side windows, which have an almost mirror-like appearance thanks to their finely- patterned surface and which blend almost imperceptibly into the flanks of the vehicle body, finished in alubeam.
Dynamic: an extended, flowing silhouette and pronounced body shape
The low-slung front end, smooth and streamlined roof line, flat front wind- shield and road-hugging rear end give the F 015 Luxury in Motion an extended and decidedly dynamic silhouette. The vehicle body has a pronounced, attrac- tive shape. The generously-sized areas of outer skin fit snugly to the body. The greenhouse is tapered sharply towards the rear, resulting in muscular shoul- ders which lend an eye-catching contour to the flanks. Together with the pow- erful-looking side skirt, this gives the sides of the vehicle additional visual structure.
The extremely large 26-inch wheels appear to push down the side skirts, which in turn emphasizes the unusually long wheelbase. The alloy wheels are split into five equally-sized, cross-drilled areas of gleaming aluminum.
Mercedes- Benz F 015 at CES (photo credit – John Grafman)
Expansive: long wheelbase and “saloon doors” that open wide
The unusually long wheelbase of the F 015 Luxury in Motion, at 3610 millime- ters, is longer by some 245 millimeters than the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class (3365 millimeters). Combined with the short overhangs, it is immediately ap- parent that the design focus was on providing the maximum possible space for the passengers.
The F 015 Luxury in Motion does not have any B-pillars. This fact, together with the wide-opening “saloon doors” that open out the other way to conven- tional doors, makes getting into and out of the vehicle interior particularly con- venient and comfortable. The doors open to a full 90 degrees. This allows a
clear view of the generously dimensioned and intelligently laid out interior and ensures problem-free entry. The side impact protection features have been cleverly integrated into the door system.
Open space: a luxury lounge providing the highest levels of comfort
In the interior of the F 015 Luxury in Motion the designers have created a lounge-like space with a feel-good ambience characterized by elegance, quality and lightness.
Sensual, flowing transitions and warm, organic materials such as open-pore walnut wood, which has been shaped to a three-dimensional veneer, and ex- tremely soft ice-white nappa leather contrast with clearly-defined metal and glass surfaces with a cool and technical feel. The transitions between organic, metal and synthetic materials have been designed using matrix graphics; and the flowing transitions deliver a new, unparalleled feeling of bounteous space. The light-colored fine wood used for the floor, for example, flows almost imper- ceptibly into the cool Plexiglas of the side panels thanks to their unusual sur- face matrix. The transition between the vehicle floor and the door panels also echoes the outer body shape in a characterful way.
Mercedes- Benz F 015
Variable and comfortable: Lounge-like seating system with a vis-à-vis configuration
The pivotal feature of the innovative interior concept is the variable seating system, with four rotating lounge chairs that allow a face-to-face seat configuration. This enables the front passengers to turn around and talk directly to the other passengers while on the move – or to focus their attention towards the front as necessary for manual driving. For this, the white leather steering wheel automatically slides out of the instrument panel – also clad in white leather – and offers the driver a choice of driving options. To make getting in and out of the vehicle really comfortable, the electrically-powered seats swivel 30 degrees towards the doors as these are opened.
The cushions of the lounge chairs are upholstered in extremely soft ice-white nappa leather and set in curved mounts of highly-polished aluminum. Each seating mount has a contrasting light band of blue LED lights and can also be manually swiveled. Harmonious touches are provided by the leather head re- straints with the Mercedes star strikingly embossed in them, as well as by the seat belts, which are in the same color as the seat cushions.
Communicative and interactive: the interior as a digital living space
One core theme of the innovative interior concept is a continuous exchange of information between vehicle, passengers and the outside world. Six displays are installed to this end all around, tastefully mounted in the instrument panel and the rear and side walls, making the interior of the F 015 Luxury in Motion a digital living space – a perfect symbiosis of the virtual and the real world.
Mercedes- Benz F 015
Passengers are able to interact intuitively with the connected vehicle by means of gestures or by touching the high-resolution screens. Sensors recognize the passengers’ hands and offer them user interfaces within convenient reach that present the suitable operating options for the particular situation. Particle streams on the displays – with brilliant white background graphics – visualize the vehicle’s movement and symbolize its intelligence. In addition, individual displays for each seat provide an innovative way for passengers to take in in- formation.
Mercedes-Benz F 015 at CES 2015 (photo credit – John Grafman)
Related Images:
