The F 015 Luxury in Motion is the first autonomous vehicle concept to have been created by a mainstream manufacturer. Mercedes is keen to highlight the fact that the company is at the forefront of innovation and, just as the Benz Patent Motor Car of 1886, the company is again looking to establish itself as an innovator.
Until now, the autonomous vehicle has been previewed by companies like Google who have little experience in the automotive sector and which brought us a little bubble with no design value. Other than the technology that lies within, the Google car is not a cohesively designed product and there is much room for improvement. But is the F 015 an accurate barometer for future of autonomous ‘driving’?
Below is an interview with Daimler’s VP of Design Gorden Wagener, who calls the F 015 “the highest expression of emotion and intelligence”. We’ll let you draw your own conclusions…
What were the key parameters for the F 015 Luxury in Motion in the conceptual phase?
“Taking as our premise the concept of autonomous driving, we came up with the vision of a car which in the guise of a large, very progressive and highly aesthetic sedan makes the hallmark Mercedes concept of ‘modern luxury’ tangible in all its facets. We wanted to design a luxurious vehicle with a lounge-like ambience in the interior, which combines sensuality with purity in a very special way and appeals equally to the intellect and to the emotions, thereby exerting a natural appeal. In addition, its exterior had to signal its visionary and pioneering character at first glance.”
How did the design team use these new design freedoms?
“The F 015 Luxury in Motion demonstrates an extremely progressive design idiom with its elongated mono volume. The total integration of the ‘Space Flow’ profile is revolutionary. A taut line runs from the grille over the roof into the tail end, and thus integrates the classic components hood, cabin and trunk into one volume. In the interior we had the freedom to create generous space with a luxurious, modern lounge character, which thanks to displays integrated all around makes a continuous exchange of information between the vehicle, the passengers and the outside world possible.”
