share on BufferThe F 015 Luxury in Motion was designed from the very start as an autonomous car, and this gave designers original possibilities in the vehicle layout, packaging and connectivity.
The show cars was conceived as “mobile living space”, and is characterized by very generous dimensions: it measures 5,220 mm in length, is 2,018 mm wide and 1,524 mm tall, while the 3,610 mm wheelbase allows for a very spacious interior.
The exterior lines are characterized by a low-slung front end, smooth and streamlined roof line, flat front windscreen and road-hugging rear end.
The underlying structure is made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic, aluminium and steel, which allows to save about 40% in weight compared to conventional cars of similar size.
Among the most distinctive features are the prominent LED light modules on the front and back of the car. They indicate which mode – manual or autonomous – the vehicle is operating in, and also enable a communication and interaction with the outside world, which will help in creating a sense of reliability and trust towards the autonomous driving technologies.
Gorden Wagener, Vice President Design Daimler AG, commented: “With the F 015 Luxury in Motion 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.”
Interior Design
The spacious cabin can accommodate four passengers in two rows of individual lounge chairs, either facing each other or in tandem.
When operatin in manual mode, the front seat driver and passenger seats swivel automatically to face the direction of travel and the steering wheel emerges seamlessly from the dashboard.
The inspiration from a modern living space is reflected in the choice of materials, which include natural open grain walnut wood, aluminium, glass and ice white nappa leather.
The cabin is accessed via twin, rear-hinged doors that open to 90 degrees, while the seats swivel by 30 degrees to allow easy ingress and egress.
The onboard connectivity – a key feature for a self driving vehicle – features six screens seamlessly integrated throughout the interior, controlled via eye-tracking, gesture recognition or touch.
The platform was conceived for a hydrogen fuel cells powertrain, that takes inspiration from the pioneering F-CELL PLUG-IN HYBRID system first seen in the F 125! research vehicle in 2011.
(Source: Mercedes-Benz)
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