Presented as a world premiere at the 39th Tokyo Motor Show, the F600 HyGenius Concept is a fuel cell-powered futuristic vehicle, whose design was created by different Mercedes Design Centers, located in Germany, Japan, USA and Italy.

"For the design team, the job of giving innovations a futuristic yet appealing form in the Mercedes research vehicles is far more than just an absorbing task. Rather, it is an exciting challenge that requires them to create a harmonious composition: an equilateral triangle of expressive forms, avantgarde vehicle concepts and unprecedented technology.

The new F 600 HYGENIUS is no exception to this. Indeed, the designers' powers of imagination and creativity were called upon more than ever to fit the design language around the technical concept."

As with the technical design, the key concern during the styling process was the fuel cell. The designers were presented with their first ever opportunity to get to grips with this drive system of the future and develop ideas for accommodating it that were both stylish and practicable.

Designers from three continents were commissioned with this task: the Mercedes studios in Germany, Japan and the US drafted design proposals for the exterior, while the Como studio in Northern Italy was penned suggestions for the interior styling, the colour scheme and the materials. The result was a lively, multinational competition of design ideas. At the end of this stimulating phase, the project planners decided to give the nod to a design from the Japanese studio. The interior, including the colour scheme and materials, is entirely the work of the Mercedes designers in the studio in Como.

Exterior Design

The designers have drawn attention to the fact that this car's heart beats beneath the occupant cell with original and strong sculpting of the vehicle's flanks, moulded by large 20-inch wheels and flared wheel arches. The contouring of the wings, together with the extremely short body overhangs at the front and rear concurr to define the vehicle's powerful proportions.

The body side is virtually splitted in two parts by a horizontal line: the upper half is made of the transparent surfaces of the cockpit, and extends until the front headlights, thanks to the black coloring of the A pillar and the front fender. This way the importance of the cockpit is emphasized, while expressing a strong contrst between the smooth glass surfaces and the strong and muscular lower body.

The B pillars which slope slightly backwards and the slanted door joins are two eye-catching elements which provide a further example of form being combined with function: as well as reinforcing the dynamic flow of the body's lines, they also make it easier to get in and out of the vehicle.

Expansive glass surfaces extending into the roof produce an airy, transparent feel, afford passengers panoramic views and make travelling in the fuel cell vehicle an even more memorable experience.

The designers refer to this section of the body as the "greenhouse" and have kept the bonnet short, the waistline low and the windows large to give it extra emphasis. The unconventional proportions resulting from this concept create a fresh new visual balance between the vehicle's cabin (the "greenhouse") and the rest of its body.

The styling at the front end of the F 600 HYGENIUS features the unmistakable Mercedes radiator grille in louvred design. A further hallmark feature of the vehicle's nose is its pronounced arrowhead styling; a clear kink runs along the centre of the bonnet and then continues down the radiator grille to the centrepiece in the bumper and the front apron.

The projector modules of the headlamps add further focal points. The transparent lenses give an insight into a technology that lights the way forward into the future with high-power LEDs.

Interior design: technology and aesthetics

The main idea behind the interior design of the F-600 HyGenius was to link the past with the future.

In so doing, it reiterates the message transmitted by the rest of the research vehicle: that this is a car which has been equipped with the technology of the future, but without diluting the fun factor or its suitability for use as a family car.

Practicality and magnetic allure have therefore been fused together into the interior's design concept.

The interior design leaves room for both traditional materials, such as wood and leather, and for revolutionary new materials, including the gel-type luminous yellow plastic which adds bold splashes of colour to the seat cushions and the footwells in the research vehicle.

The light beige leather that covers the seat cushions, the armrest and the interior door trim blends with the warm brown tone of the handcrafted fine wood and with the grey dashboard trim. The interior designers have developed a dashboard whose top section appears to be suspended freely. The same impression results from the console between the two front seats which is supported by a slender, sweeping pillar to accentuate the ample spaciousness.

The seats' design is a combination of wood, leather and the luminous-yellow gel.

The interior's extremely cosy feel forms a deliberate contrast with the ultramodern high-tech design of the cockpit, which is dominated by a large, tinted cover panel and the control panel in the centre. The panel covers the advanced virtual colour displays which can be positioned individually by both the driver and the front passenger to bring them perfectly into view.

Technology

Powered by a zero-emission fuel cell drive with an output of 85 kW/115 hp, the F-600 HyGenius consumes the equivalent of 2.9 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres and has an operating range in excess of 400 kilometres.

The performance and cold start characteristics of the groundbreaking drive unit have also undergone considerable improvement.

"This represents a major step towards bringing the fuel cell drive up to full production maturity, a goal that we aim to achieve some time between 2012 and 2015," comments Dr. Thomas Weber, DaimlerChrysler AG Board Member for Research & Technology and Head of Development at the Mercedes Car Group. "By developing the fuel cell, we are creating a new basis for supplying energy in tomorrow's vehicles which will make a further lasting improvement to their environmental compatibility."

(Source: Mercedes)