With the inductive charging principle, an electric car fitted with a special charging coil merely has to be positioned over a charging coil in the ground to start the charging process fully automatically, with no need for cable contact. “We are keen to find out how the inductive charging process proves in daily use,” says Herbert Kohler, head of e-drive & future mobility in the Research and Advance Development department at Daimler AG. “We have already demonstrated the essential feasibility of the technology. The experience in day-to-day use will now provide important pointers for the further course of development. A number of technical and financial issues also need to be resolved before we can really assess the marketability of this technology.”

The electric car will be deployed from March 2012 in the project “Effizienzhaus-Plus mit Elektromobilität”, which was inaugurated in Berlin today by Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and Dr. Peter Ramsauer, Member of the Bundestag and Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs. Through the application of cutting-edge technologies, the energy-efficient house in this pilot project is intended to generate more electricity than it consumes. This surplus electricity can be used to recharge battery-powered electric vehicles, for example – the home as a personal filling station. The entire building has been designed along energy-efficient lines, seamlessly incorporating the area of electric mobility. Both the inductive and the cable-based charging devices are harmonically integrated in the house’s architecture, for example. A family of four will live at the house on an experimental basis for 15 months, beginning in March 2012. During their stay at the house they will use various electric vehicles to explore and demonstrate how a new generation of buildings and electric mobility interact in daily life. Apart from the Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-CELL with inductive charging option, Daimler AG will be providing the “Effizienzhaus-Plus mit Elektromobilität” project from the start in March 2012 with two other battery-powered electric vehicles for around three months:

the second-generation smart fortwo electric drive and the smart ebike. The family will thus have a broad spectrum of battery-powered local emission-free electric vehicles from Daimler at its disposal to cover the most diverse uses. From the two-seater tailored perfectly to urban needs through the 5-seater family car to the electric bike which opens the door to electric mobility without any need for a driving licence. Daimler will also attend to installation of the necessary charging infrastructure at the house, providing a wallbox for conductive charging with a cable and a charging coil for inductive charging in the carport. Alternatively, the family will also be able to charge all the vehicles at public charging stations or by plugging them into a standard domestic power outlet.

The project “Effizienzhaus-Plus mit Elektromobilität” will show that sustainable living and driving is possible without compromising on one’s quality of life. Scientific evaluation of the data on usage of the vehicle which are collected in the course of the project may additionally provide important insights into customers’ wishes – and show how electric cars can become yet more sustainable and at the same time more comfortable and convenient in the future.

Charging without a cable
In addition to charging with a cable, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-CELL to be deployed in this project can also be charged inductively. This involves non-contact transmission of the charging current by means of an electromagnetic field. For this purpose, both the vehicle and the parking space at the energy-efficient house are fitted with corresponding coils. A special display system helps the driver to manoeuvre the vehicle into the ideal position over the charging coil.

In cooperation with Conductix-Wampfler and Röchling Automotive KG, Daimler has already developed a prototype version of this technology and demonstrated its functional effectiveness in a project sponsored by the Federal Ministry of the Environment. The technology’s suitability for everyday use is now to be sounded out thoroughly in the course of the practical trial.

A perfect match: energy-efficient house and electric vehicle in coordinated design
In order to highlight the close functional relationship between house and vehicle, a special edition has been developed for the “Effizienzhaus-Plus” project in close consultation between the Mercedes-Benz Design department and “Effizienzhaus-Plus” architect Prof. Werner Sobek. In keeping with the design and colour concept for the house, white and natural tones are predominant in the exterior and interior design of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-CELL and the second-generation smart fortwo electric drive. A specially developed pearl coat in platinum white metallic lends the vehicles a strong presence and reflects heat, thereby helping to keep the interior cool. The combined use of natural textiles such as wool, linen and nappa leather provides for an attractive contrast.

The coordinated design means that the family will feel totally at home in the cars, thus communicating the concept of integrated sustainable home living and motoring on a visual and an emotional level.

Source: Daimler AG

This meant that smart won the prestigious design contest, which takes place every year within the framework of the Los Angeles Auto Show, for the second year running.

This year’s Los Angeles Design Challenge was not just about developing the Hollywood car of the future, but also about inventing a story worthy of Hollywood. “With the 341 Parkour smart hit the nail on the head: the design combines innovation and functionality with an exciting film plot” is how the jury consisting of multi-discipline design professionals justified their decision.

With the smart 341 Parkour the Mercedes-Benz designers created a revolutionary super all-rounder with a completely transparent passenger cell for maximum all-round visibility. It can drive normally on the roads, climb up the façade of skyscrapers and even fly! This is the vehicle that reporter Annie Angle sets off in to research her first title story which she hopes will kick-start her career. She has read in the newspaper that the incredible “smart Granny Robots” have gone missing and sets off to find them.

For the film story the designers took up the visionary smart concept which won them first place in the Los Angeles Design Challenge last year. Then the smart 454 was knitted from carbon fibre by “smart Granny Robots”.

The film for Mercedes-Benz “Silver Lightning” has been awarded as “Best Animation”.

Source: Daimler AG

Their efforts have borne fruit in the form of three visionary “hero cars” – a Mercedes-Benz and a smart, each perfectly cast in an action thriller, and a Maybach luxury carriage starring in a modern-day fairytale. The futuristic Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow teams up with two crash test dummies to battle it out with the forces of evil. The smart 341 Parkour, which is able to climb sheer faces and take to the air, helps a young reporter to scoop the story of her life. The Maybach Berline brings a touch of magic into the life of a hapless Cinderella.

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Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow and crash test dummies
The designers at the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Carlsbad, California have created a Hollywood-style homage for Mercedes-Benz to 125 years of innovation in automotive technology and design. The leading roles are played by two high-tech characters which have been instrumental in reconciling safety and stylish design in automobiles: the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow cult racing car and crash test dummies.
The film ”Silver Lightning“ is set in the near future, in an age of artificial intelligence. Two crash test dummies by the names of Hans05 and Franz02 take on evil ruler Dr. Crash-Barrier to save their beloved Mercedes Silver Arrow. They engage in an action-packed, nerve-jangling duel with the ruthless battering ram before finally outfoxing him. The Silver Arrow is a low-lying sculpture on wheels. A feat of technical innovation is the diagonal, hubless roller which allows steering in all directions. The futuristic Silver Arrow’s proportions are reminiscent of the legendary sports car from the late 1930s and the Uhlenhaut SLR from the 1950s.

”Annie get the Grannies“ with the smart 341 Parkour
For smart, the designers at the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Sindelfingen have created a revolutionary all-rounder. The smart 341 Parkour is equally at home driving along the road, climbing up the facades of skyscrapers or even taking to the air. The occupant cell is completely transparent and offers the very best all-round visibility – the perfect vehicle for a fast-paced reporter story.

For the plot of the film ”Annie get the Grannies“, the designers have taken the visionary smart concept with which they won the Los Angeles Design Challenge last year as their starting point. Last year, the smart 454 was knitted from carbon fibres by so-called ”smart granny robots“. These high-tech robots equipped with knitting needles have now been revived. On reading in a newspaper that the incredible robots have disappeared, the young reporter Annie Angle from Cantpark City scents the story of her life. Armed with a professional camera, she sets off to investigate in her smart 341 Parkour.

Cinderella and the Maybach Berline
For Maybach, Mercedes-Benz’s interior designers in Sindelfingen have created a modern reinterpretation of the classic ”Berline” a luxury carriage with full suspension from the 17th century, for a remake of the Cinderella fairytale. Hapless Cindy toils day-in, day-out helping her father to develop the Maybach Berline, while her step-sister enjoys the party life. On her birthday her father allows her to travel into town in the prototype of the luxury carriage. She goes to a dance, where she meets an attractive man and loses all sense of time. As she has to be home by midnight, she suddenly dashes off, losing one of her red stilettos in the process. Her dancing partner runs after her with the shoe. Overjoyed, Cindy boards the Maybach Berline and is driven home by a virtual chauffeur.

The Maybach Berline is remote controlled via satellite like a drone, allowing the occupants maximum space and absolute privacy. The chauffeur is based at the Maybach Virtual Chauffeur Center and can be spoken to at any time by means of a glass screen suspended from the roof lining. Every conceivable entertainment feature can also be activated via this screen. Copiously appointed with wood, the interior is designed in the manner of a royal lounge in which the passengers face one another on two comfortable individual seats. Similarly to on a business jet, the passengers board and alight from the vehicle by means of a two-piece swing-wing door with a horizontal split, whereby the lower section folds out to form a step unit. The sides of the carriage have extra-large windows which can be set such that they can only be looked through from inside the vehicle. They can additionally be used as interfaces.

Los Angeles Design Challenge
The Los Angeles Design Challenge is part of the Los Angeles Design Conference, which is to take place from 16 to 17 November 2011 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The winners of the competition will be announced on 17 November 2011.

Source: Daimler AG

At the TecTalk “@ your comand”, the company showed how the engineers at Mercedes-Benz envision the near and more distant multimedia future with the aim of maintaining this pioneering role in telematics and infotainment. “Our vision can be summed up by the four key concepts of a ‘Holistic experience’, ‘Natural interaction’, ‘Sensory perfection’ and ‘User-friendly remote control’”, explains Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bharat Balasubramanian, Vice President Product Innovations & Process Technologies in Group Research & Advanced Engineering at Daimler AG.

The company will be expanding the range of integrated apps for the COMAND Online multimedia system apace, for example, and offering numerous applications for all facets of the digital lifestyle. New apps for the Facebook online network, for Google Streetview and Google Panoramio will be available from the autumn of 2011. Over a dozen additional apps are planned in the medium term. These are currently under development, in some instances in collaboration with innovative start-ups such as the US talk radio operator Stitcher, the Twitter short message service and the popular music providers Pandora in the USA or Aupeo in Germany, for example. The new apps will be usable by all customers who drive a Mercedes-Benz with COMAND Online.

As already indicated in the “Concept A-CLASS” study (Shanghai, 2011), the graphic design of screen content will also acquire increasing importance in future. Dynamically growing glass elements form three-dimensionally arranged navigation levels. The user is guided intuitively around the spatial depth of this menu structure by flowing movements and fluidly animated transitions. In the long term, displays will allow even greater scope for personalisation and apps and control elements will no longer be restricted to specific displays. User-configurable displays are conceivable, for example, allowing drivers to determine for themselves which display elements are to be shown where.

“We are also pursuing research on 3D displays. Three-dimensional on-screen presentations enable information to be absorbed more intuitively,” Balasubramanian points out. “This simpler and faster recognition of warnings provides for a further improvement in road traffic safety.”

Operation will also be even more intuitive in future, with voice control covering most functions, supported by gestures and touch. In the medium term, it will be possible to dictate text messages and e-mails or to call up messages in this way. This will involve speaking a headline or, in the case of so-called “free” voice browsing, a specific question (“What’s the weather like in southern Germany?”). “To us as safety pioneers, it is important that the driver is not distracted in any way. On the contrary, the aim is to enhance driver-fitness safety through improved user-friendliness,” explains Balasubramanian.

Further examples of “natural interaction” include menu control via gestures or handwriting recognition (whereby the user traces a finger over the display on the head unit). In future, it may be possible to switch reading and interior lights on and off by means of swiping movements along the overhead control unit, and gesture-controlled invisible cameras could replace switches in vehicles.

Tomorrow’s motorists will be able to decide at the breakfast table or in the office which content or apps they wish to have on board, by carrying out corresponding pre-configurations via smartphone or PC. The first such application to have been realised is the option offered by COMAND Online of downloading a route which has been configured on a PC beforehand using Google Maps and transmitted to the car.

Source: Daimler AG

“It is the young people of today who will continue to write the history of mobility tomorrow,” says Dr Weber. “It is thus all the more important to encourage them to take keen interest in the technologies of the future while they are still young. We need an up-and-coming generation of qualified and committed young people who are interested in technology and able to evolve and develop innovative ideas on their own initiative. The necessary foundations should be laid while these young people are still at school.”

On 30 June, Dr Weber will present a talk to the pupils of the Wirtemberg Gymnasium on the growing importance of alternative drive systems and Daimler AG’s commitment to sustainable mobility concepts. A special focus of the talk will be on zero-emission drive technologies and the attendant development of electric vehicles with fuel cell and battery. Daimler AG already has four different electric vehicles on the road today – ranging from a small city runabout to a van. After his talk, Dr Weber will be available to answer questions from the pupils and to inform them about the need for young people to take up technically oriented occupations.

On his own choice of occupation, the doctor of engineering observes: “Not once have I regretted my decision to become an engineer. There are few things in the world that move people as much as the car. Actively shaping the future of individual mobility is an incredibly exciting and fascinating task.”

The tech@school project of Daimler AG is part of the Genius initiative which has been offering and developing educational activities for children and young people since 2009. The Genius knowledge community seeks to instil an enthusiasm for technical careers in young people as a means of heightening the interest in science and technology in the long term. In particular, Genius is also intended to encourage an interest in the engineering profession among girls and to provide them with a better understanding of technical disciplines.

Source: Daimler AG

The Mercedes-Benz Concept A-Class is celebrating its premiere at the Auto Shanghai show (21 to 28 April 2011). The technical highlights of this front-wheel drive Concept car include a new, turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine developing 155 kW (210 hp), a dual clutch transmission and a radar-based collision warning system with adaptive Brake Assist.

A long bonnet, low silhouette and slim window areas: the proportions of the Concept A-Class stand for concentrated dynamism. Its sporty appearance is given particular depth by the interplay between lines and surfaces. “The Concept A-Class introduces the new Mercedes-Benz design idiom into the compact class in a sculptured, light and expressive interpretation,” says Professor Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Mercedes-Benz. “We use the term ‘captured energy’ to express the sheer dynamism exuded by the Concept A-Class. Our formal sources of inspiration were the wind and waves, as well as aviation engineering, resulting in this “cool” look.”

New turbocharged petrol engine, seven-speed dual clutch transmission
But it is not only visually, but also technologically that the Concept A-Class is ushering in a new compact class era at Mercedes-Benz. This front-wheel drive model is powered by a four-cylinder petrol engine from the new M270 series. It was designed for transverse installation, and thanks to direct injection and turbocharging it offers a high performance potential together with minimal emissions and fuel consumption. Other highlights of the all-aluminium engine include injection pressures of up to 200 bar and fast-responding piezo injectors.

The Concept A-Class is equipped with the two-litre variant of the new engine, developing 155 kW (210 hp). This BlueEFFICIENCY unit is combined with the new Mercedes-Benz dual clutch transmission. As a three-shaft transmission, this has seven forward gears which are shifted automatically with no interruption in tractive power. The new transmission is therefore particularly economical, sporty and comfortable.

Exterior design with defined edges and a free interplay with the body surfaces
One major characteristic of the new design idiom at Mercedes-Benz is the expressive interplay between lines and surfaces – which the designers refer to as a “clean” Concept. Thanks to concave and convex surfaces with the resulting light modulation, this creates a unique sculpture-like presence. The Concept A‑Class emphatically continues this theme of defined edges and interacting surfaces, which Mercedes-Benz first showed in the F 800 Style. The side view is structured by three prominent lines: the front structural edge forms a dropping line towards the rear, while the pronounced shoulder muscle over the rear axle emphasises the car’s coupé-like character. A further line extends upwards in front of the rear wheel arch in a sweeping curve. These lines lend more depth and dynamism to the side profile. The door handles are recessed into the doors, and emerge electrically at the touch of a button.

The unusual, wing-like structure of the exterior mirrors is suggestive of flow and lightness. Another prominent feature is the open side skirt, which creates an unusual light-and-shadow effect. Reminiscent of a turbine rotor, the large 20-inch wheels reinforce the impression that the Concept A-Class has been shaped by the wind.

The front end of the Concept A-Class is a real eye-catcher. The brand logo appears to be surrounded by a starry sky. Where there are usually apertures or louvres, the radiator grille consists of numerous metallic silver “dots” on black stems. This theme is reflected in the design of the wheels.

The visually wide rear end exudes power and athleticism, and is likewise enlivened by an interplay between convex/concave surfaces and pronounced edges. The tail light clusters continue the lines of the muscular shoulders towards the rear, emphasising the car’s width with their horizontal orientation. The aerodynamic spoiler lip in the tail lights improves efficiency, while the diffuser creates a downforce to aid roadholding.

Interior dominated by associations with aviation engineering
The interior of the Concept A-Class, which is flooded with light from the large panoramic roof, likewise appears to be from another planet. Many of the unusual features were inspired by aircraft engineering, at the same time reflecting ideas from the “Mercedes-Benz Aesthetics No. 2″ interior sculpture. Various component groups have been reduced to a minimum, for example the dashboard and centre console are merely brushed aluminium structures. The result is a transparent, light, bionic design effect.

As an extremely eye-catching detail inside the Concept A-Class, the dashboard takes the form of an aircraft wing and has a translucent, stretchable textile lining. Thanks to this sophisticated fabric, which is vapour-coated with chrome particles, the bionic cellular structure of the dashboard remains visible – its design is reminiscent of a canvas-covered aircraft wing whose underlying struts are discernable. Dramatic backlighting makes this instrument carrier appear particularly futuristic. Thanks to the translucent high-tech lining and lack of a conventional support structure, the dashboard appears to be free-floating. Its lines continue into the door panelling like vapour trails from the winglets of a jet.

The form of the air vents in the dashboard is likewise inspired by the engines of a jet aircraft. The translucent, backlit vents change their colour depending on the temperature the occupants have selected for the climate control system: they are blue if cool, fresh air is vented into the interior, but red if the airflow is heated. The prominent displays in the instrument cluster, which were inspired by the afterburner of a jet engine, are likewise in red. The central control unit is designed as a high-tech flight panel with a shift lever in the shape of a “thrust control”. With their moulded-over head restraints and very pronounced lateral support, the seats call the pilot seat in a jet fighter to mind.

Titanium and silver tones are combined with a light, elegant beige in the interior. Magenta is used to produce highlights that contrast with the car’s alubeam silver paint finish, which follows the dynamic contours of the exterior like liquid silver.

The Concept A-Class makes use of modern materials such as the high-tech lining on the dashboard, or metallised leather where semi-aniline is dyed with metallic pigments and embossed, and also high-grade nubuk leather. This builds a bridge between 125-year tradition of the Mercedes-Benz brand and its claim to progressiveness.

COMAND Online with revolutionary graphic design offers ease of use for smartphone applications
A smartphone is fully integrated into the operating systems of the Concept A‑Class. When the phone is inserted into the recess provided in the centre console, it is automatically synchronised with the COMAND multimedia system. All the functions of the smartphone, including internet radio, email and social networks such as Twitter or Facebook, are shown as applications on the 17.8 cm display and can be operated via the rotary/push control.

The visual presentation of the screen elements is unique, with a deep, three-dimensional look created by laser-like, magenta-coloured lines. This near-series display Concept was designed and realised by designers and engineers at the Mercedes-Benz development laboratory in Palo Alto/USA. The menus in the Concept A-Class are in both Mandarin and English.

Headlamps with optical fibres produce a unique effect
A very special effect is created by the lights of the Concept A-Class, as the innovative full-LED high-performance headlamps repeat the starry sky motif of the radiator grille with numerous lighting points. The daytime running lamps consist of 90 optical fibres with aluminium sleeves, and they are arranged in a wing-shape within the headlamp. The tentacle-like fibres form individual, diffused light sources to create a dramatic contrast between soft and harsh.

From any perspective an unusual effect is also created by the LED indicators, which appear to float freely within the headlamps like an enclosed air bubble in a perfume bottle. The indicators are mounted in six chambers at the top of the perspex headlamp unit, and their vapour-coated reflectors remain invisible.
As already brought to series production maturity in the Mercedes CLS, the LED high-performance headlamps of the Concept A-Class combine the Intelligent Light System with LED technology. The projection module of these LED headlamps is no longer round, but rather flatter and more sporty. This sporty impression is reinforced by the matt carbon-fibre housing, which contrasts with the aluminium surround of the projection module.

Optical fibres with aluminium sleeves are also used in the tail lights. 120 optical fibre lighting points form each C-shaped tail light cluster to create a unique visual effect with their subtle glow. They are appropriately lit up for the brake light function. When braking, the continuous light band between the two tail light clusters also lights up to make the Concept A-Class appear even wider. The indicators are self-contained elements in the centre of the tail lights. The base unit of the tail light is of carbon-fibre, with the numerous red elements ensuring visual depth.

New assistance and braking system reduces the risk of rear-end collisions
In the Concept A-Class, safety pioneer Mercedes-Benz is showing another milestone in the democratisation of automotive safety technology: the concept car is equipped with a radar-based collision warning system with adaptive Brake Assist – a world first in the compact class. This system gives a visual and acoustic warning to a possibly inattentive driver, and prepares Brake Assist for an absolutely precise braking response which is initiated as soon as the driver emphatically operates the brake pedal.

In contrast to other systems available in the market for the compact class, the new Brake Assist Collision Prevention Assist is not merely an urban driving system designed to minimise the effects of minor collisions. Instead this innovative solution aims to provide protection against typical rear-end collisions in all driving situations. Mercedes-Benz expects the new safety system to have a significant, positive effect on accident statistics. Following detailed analyses of accident data, Mercedes-Benz safety specialists estimate that this radar-based technology can help to prevent around 20 percent of all rear-end collisions, and mitigate the severity of a further 25 percent.

Source: Daimler AG

“Our new program underlines the importance of sustainability for our company. We are adopting concrete targets and identifying the key target horizons. However, we do not see our sustainability program as a static target system – we are flexible enough to respond to new challenges, too,” commented Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and responsible for Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development and Chairman of the Daimler Sustainability Board.

The Sustainability Program 2010-2020 is broken down into five main areas of action: sustainability management, product responsibility, industrial environmental protection, employees, and the social environment.

In the area of sustainability management, the company has set itself targets for integrity and compliance, data protection, the management of supplier relationships and stakeholder dialog. For example, compliance training for employees will continue on a Group-wide basis until the end of the year and will be expanded to include business partners, while the dialog with stakeholders will have an increasingly international focus.

The product responsibility targets primarily relate to emissions, safety, customer satisfaction and the conservation of resources, with a particular focus on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Daimler already intends to reduce the CO2 emissions of its new passenger car fleet in Europe to less than 140 g/km by 2012. Now, the company is going one step further by setting itself a target of cutting emissions to 125 g/km by 2016 – a reduction of 30% compared with 2007.

However, CO2 emissions are not the only area in focus: vehicle safety is also given a high priority. In the area of heavy-duty commercial vehicles, Daimler intends to increase the ratio of vehicles equipped with assistance systems; for example, one target is to double the number of vehicles fitted with Active Brake Assist from 10% in 2009 to 20% in 2015.

Industrial environmental protection relates to energy efficiency in production, biodiversity, air pollution control and the conservation of resources. One aim is to reduce specific CO2 emissions in production by 20% between 2007 and 2015, for example.

With regard to employees, the areas in focus are diversity and equal opportunities, employee development, industrial health and safety, and competitive labor costs. Among other things, the company has set itself the target of increasing the proportion of women in leading management positions worldwide to 20% by 2020. Securing young talent is also a high priority. A wide range of activities – such as the Daimler Student Partnership programs, the CAReer trainee program and addressing top talents on a target group-specific basis, particularly in the areas of engineering and IT – are intended to ensure that the required talents are secured and fostered within the Group.

The sustainability program also covers social commitment and human rights. Daimler intends to systematically reinforce both of these areas. For example, risk management will be expanded at Daimler’s 18 production locations in accordance with the requirements of the United Nations Global Compact in order to ensure that potential human rights risks are identified at an early stage.

The company also intends to strengthen its road safety education measures for elementary school pupils in Germany. By the end of 2012, the 10-year “Mobile Kids” program will further be expanded to include online applications and special school days.

The central management committee for sustainability at Daimler is the Sustainability Board, which was formed in 2008 by resolution of the Board of Management. All sustainability-related management processes are bundled in this decision-making body, which is headed by Dr. Thomas Weber.

Source: Daimler AG

Daimler is supporting the unique road show “SWR3 – Drei Tage unter Strom” with a total of 25 electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz and smart. The tour will cover almost 500 kilometres right across the SWR3 broadcasting region from Koblenz to Ulm and will give SWR3 listeners an insight into the electric future of the automobile.

Participants include the smart fortwo electric drive – the electrified pioneer of urban mobility, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-CELL, the Vito E-CELL van and the B-Class F-CELL. With this vehicle fleet the inventor of the automobile is providing the majority of the participating electric vehicles and is once again demonstrating how practical and reliable its electric vehicles with both battery and fuel cell technology are today.

“The tour is an excellent practical opportunity to demonstrate the possibilities that
e-mobility will offer all citizens in future. This is why we are supporting the SWR3 tour and providing 25 electric vehicles”, says Dr. Thomas Weber, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG with responsibility for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. And he continues “The tour is a great idea. It’s really customer-oriented and promises sheer driving pleasure. And because the 60 drivers will convey their impressions live on SWR3 radio to the many listeners, the road show is authentic and shows that with Daimler it is possible to experience the future of driving on the streets nowadays.”

Three days powered by electricity
To mark the 125th anniversary of the automobile, for the first time a road show with electric vehicles will take place in the SWR3 broadcasting region. The radio station recently held a draw for seats in the locally emission-free vehicles. A total of more than 30 electric vehicles will take part in the tour. In addition to the 25 vehicles from Mercedes-Benz and smart, cars made by Tesla, Mitsubishi, Renault, Peugeot and Citroën will also take part in “SWR3 – Drei Tage unter Strom”. The tour will start in Koblenz and pass through Bingen, Bruchsal, Worms, Ludwigsburg and Schwäbisch Gmünd before reaching Ulm. At the stops of the respective stages interested visitors will have an opportunity to find out about the technologies and ways of charging and refuelling the various vehicles.

Wide-ranging fleet of electric vehicles
The vehicles taking part in the tour demonstrate just how varied the Daimler model range of electric cars already is today. The participating smart fortwo electric drive is the ideal battery-electric driven car for the city. With a range of 135 kilometres the electric smart is great fun to drive in urban areas. The Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL is powered by hydrogen and has a locally emission-free range of around 400 kilometres. It is also ideal for longer journeys and can be fully refuelled in less than three minutes. The A-Class E-CELL offers lots of space, versatility and a very high level of comfort – without producing any emissions. With a range of more than 200 kilometres it is suitable for zero local emission driving in urban areas and in the countryside. A battery-electric van is also taking part in the tour in the form of the Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL. This environmentally friendly and quiet van is particularly advantageous for deliveries and transportation in inner city areas. All four models have reached full production maturity and are already available to selected customers.

Daimler AG is the first European automotive manufacturer to have a presence at the conference, and is making its mark with a trade stand, expert speakers and opportunities to Ride & Drive in battery-electric powered vehicles. This level of participation allows the company to demonstrate its globally unparalleled expertise in sustainable mobility – be it the smart fortwo electric drive city car, the SLS AMG E-CELL super sports car or the Vito E-CELL urban van.

Daimler also provides green solutions in the commercial-vehicle segment, including the Mercedes-Benz Econic NGT with CO2-neutral biogas drive and the Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid truck.

Ride & Drive in Daimler electric vehicles
As well as experiencing the smart fortwo electric drive, visitors can also get a taste of the mobility solutions of the future in the shape of the S 500 Plug-in HYBRID, the BlueZERO F-CELL and the state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz F 800 Style research vehicle. Furthermore Ride & Drive also offers the opportunity to discover at first hand the unrestricted everyday practicality of two of Daimler’s electric vehicles, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-CELL and the smart fortwo electric drive, both of which are already in series production.

The stated aim of the WFES is to serve as the platform that enables political and economic decision makers to find sustainable, environmentally-friendly, economical solutions to the challenges faced by the energy industry. It provides a forum where internationally renowned experts come together to discuss the latest developments affecting a broad range of energy-related issues, from solar energy, through alternative fuels, to e-mobility. This conference focuses on developments and innovations that provide possible solutions to the energy issues of the future.

Source: Daimler AG

Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
With a design perfected through an immaculate sense of style, highly exclusive appointments and cutting-edge technology, the extensively updated Mercedes-Benz CL-Class underscores its claim to supremacy as the summit of automotive refinement.

The entirely re-designed (435 hp) V8 biturbo engine of the CL 500 BlueEFFICIENCY, with a combined consumption of 9.5 litres premium-grade petrol per 100 km, opens a new dimension of efficiency in the luxury coupé category. In addition, a combination of cutting-edge camera and radar-based assistance systems unique in the luxury coupé segment, including the innovation of the Active Lane Assist and Active Blind Spot Assist systems, makes of the CL-Class a “thinking” partner of the driver. The modified Active Body Control (ABC) with crosswind stabilisation system and the Direct-Steer system also contribute to enhancing safety and driving enjoyment.

smart fortwo 2010
The new generation smart fortwo will be launched in the autumn of 2010 with a fresh interior look, an upgraded exterior and even more environmentally friendly engines.

There is now a choice of seven carefully coordinated colours for the exterior including trendy matt paintwork for the first time. The tridion safety cell is now optionally available in white and the new colours red and blue expand the choice of colours available for the cabrio soft top. Optional LED daytime driving lights and new alloy wheels offer even more opportunities for customisation. Fresh fabrics and colours and a new cockpit design determine the high quality interior ambience of the two-seater car. The information, communication and entertainment systems available for the new generation smart fortwo boast state-of-the-art technology.

S 63 AMG – New powertrain with the AMG 5.5-litre V8 biturbo engine
The top-of-the-range S-Class V8 model, the Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG, is to benefit from a completely newly developed powertrain. The new S 63 AMG marks the start of a new chapter in the “AMG Performance 2015″ drive strategy.

The AMG 5.5-litre V8 biturbo engine with a peak output of up to 420 kW (571 hp) and a torque of up to 900 Nm, in combination with the unique AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed sports transmission, contributes towards a considerable reduction in consumption and emissions, while at the same time increasing maximum power and torque. Like all other AMG engines, the new eight-cylinder biturbo is assembled by hand in the AMG engine shop taken into commission in 2002. Highly-qualified technicians assemble the M157 according to the “one man, one engine” philosophy, maintaining the very strictest quality standards. This painstaking care is attested to by the signature on the characteristic AMG engine plate.

The new Mercedes-Benz CLS
With the world premieres of the new CLS four-door coupe at the 2010 “Mondial de l’Automobile”, Mercedes-Benz is making an emphatic statement about the power of its innovation to combine automotive fascination with the highest levels of efficiency and environmental compatibility.

What immediately strikes the eye is the innovative front design, which is reminiscent of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Visually, the radiator grille is not integrated into the bonnet but is formed separately. This highlights the long, sporty bonnet even further. The grille is dominated by the large central star, which underlines the car’s relationship to the other coupés of the brand and strengthens the brand identity. Another distinguishing feature comes in the form of the LED High Performance headlamps, which are the world’s first to offer all of the regular dynamic light functions using LED technology.

A-Class E-CELL
Following the B‑Class F‑CELL fuel-cell car, Mercedes‑Benz now introduces the new A-Class E-CELL as its second electric car built in series-production conditions.

The five-seater with battery-powered electric drive meets all the requirements for a family car for everyday use. It is based on the five-door version of the current A‑Class, and features a generously dimensioned interior and luggage compartment for maximum versatility. No compromises have been necessary in terms of space and variability, with compact storage batteries that are located extremely well-protected and in a space-saving way in the vehicle underbase. The car’s two high-efficiency lithium-ion batteries provide a range of over 200 km (NEDC). The car is powered by a quiet, locally emission-free electric drive with peak output of 70 kW (95 hp), developing a high torque of 290 Nm. A total production run of 500 A‑Class E‑CELL cars will be built at Rastatt from autumn 2010. The vehicles will be leased to selected customers in several European countries, including Germany, France and the Netherlands.

smart escooter
World premiere at the 2010 Paris Auto Show. With the purely electrically driven escooter, smart is presenting a further solution for intelligent urban mobility.

Compact dimensions, agility, high safety standards and the driving fun typical of the smart brand, not least backed by an efficient and locally emission-free drivetrain. In addition to its innovative technical solutions, the new escooter convinces with its distinctive, state-of-the-art design and simple handling. One more advantage is the integration of smartphones: the further developed smart drive kit app has versatile functions such as those of a speedometer or range indicator.

Source: Daimler AG

The new A-Class E-CELL, the B-Class F-CELL and the Vito E-CELL van. The smart fortwo electric drive, which has been produced in series since November 2009, completes this unique product portfolio. The line-up is based on the E-Drive modular system, which allows identical parts to be used in a wide range of different vehicles. At the same time, the inventor of the motor car is pressing ahead with development in core areas of expertise such as battery technology. Furthermore, because electric cars require suitable conditions to enable everyday use, the company is fully dedicated to improving all relevant aspects of emission-free driving: from vehicle technology to cross-industry infrastructure and mobility projects.

“Customer benefit is our top priority when developing sophisticated electric mobility,” says Dr Thomas Weber, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG with responsibility for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. “The success of e-mobility stands and falls on customer acceptance, which essentially depends on three factors: everyday practicality combined with driving enjoyment, economic efficiency, and a charging and refuelling infrastructure for power and hydrogen. This is why we adopt a comprehensive approach to this topic, the aim being to offer a convincing, complete solution.”

For Mercedes-Benz, customer focus also means electric cars which feature all of the brand’s hallmark traits, including comfort and safety as well as superior performance and exemplary practicality. The Mercedes engineers combine these “classic” product benefits with their know-how in the domain of electric mobility accumulated over many decades. Dr Weber: “During the almost 125-year history of our company, we have acquired a great deal of knowledge and experience in the field of electric vehicles – either with battery or fuel cell. On this basis, we have already been able to put two electric cars offering full everyday practicality onto the road in the shape of the smart fortwo electric drive and the B-Class F‑CELL. The new A-Class E-CELL, which has been in production since October, is the logical next step in this development.”

A-Class E-CELL: electric car offering maximum customer benefit
The new A-Class E-CELL is a prime example of a customer-oriented vehicle concept. This five-seater model combines everyday practicality and family-friendly design with state-of-the-art safety technology and superior driving performance. It is based on the current A-Class and, just like this model, offers a generously-sized and versatile interior and boot space – with not even a hint of compromise when it comes to spaciousness and variability. That is mainly because the two highly efficient lithium-ion batteries, which together have a range of more than 200 km (NEDC), are safely housed in the underbody to save space. Quiet and locally emission-free drive is provided by a 70 kW (95 hp) electric motor with a high torque of 290 Nm.

The 500 new A-Class E-CELL models are being produced in Rastatt, Germany and will be leased to selected customers in several European countries – including Germany, France and the Netherlands – as part of a full-service rental package. The company has delivered further exciting prospects for environmentally-compatible electric mobility – on four or two wheels – in the form of the Concept BlueZERO, the super-sporty technology platform SLS AMG E-CELL, and the innovative smart escooter and ebike concepts.

E-Drive modular system for maximum efficiency
Thanks to its E-Drive modular system, Mercedes-Benz can bring standard-production electric cars to market quickly and achieve optimum cost efficiency. This intelligent solution makes it possible to use a high degree of identical parts for a wide range of electric vehicles with battery or fuel cell. The company-wide use of components saves on development time and costs and ensures more “streamlined” production, meaning that, in principle, the E-Drive modular system delivers the same advantages as the Mercedes-Benz hybrid modular system, which covers a wide range of vehicles and outputs.

Versatile components are suitable for different drive configurations and have already been installed in the Mercedes-Benz and smart electric vehicles produced on a small scale. By way of example, the new A-Class E-CELL is powered by the same electric motor as the B-Class F-CELL with fuel cell. As for batteries, the A-Class E-CELL uses the same technology that has already proven so successful in the smart fortwo electric drive: the electric Mercedes is equipped with two of these powerful lithium-ion batteries with a storage capacity of 36 kWh. The intelligent charge-management system for the new A‑Class E-CELL, featuring SmartCharge Communication, is likewise based on the tried-and-trusted technology used in the smart fortwo electric drive.

Powerful lithium-ion batteries
Together with its partners, Daimler is forging ahead with the development of sophisticated lithium-ion batteries. This work forms the basis of customised solutions for its unique product portfolio, which covers practically all mobility requirements. Daimler benefits here from the expertise it has accumulated through many years of research work. To date the company has filed more than 600 patents for battery-powered vehicles – and over 230 of these involve lithium-ion technology. Targeted cooperation with expert partners ensures that the battery systems optimally meet all vehicle- and application-specific requirements.

E-mobility in all the key mobility areas
In order to ensure widespread customer acceptance and quickly increase demand for electric vehicles, Daimler is working together with other car manufacturers and energy suppliers to standardise the connector and the communications interface between the vehicle and the charging infrastructure. The company is also heavily involved in a number of projects and partnerships aimed at developing an extensive infrastructure of charging stations and hydrogen refuelling points. Mercedes-Benz and smart electric vehicles are already used successfully in e-mobility projects in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK and Switzerland. Further markets include Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, Denmark and the Czech Republic as well as North America (USA and Canada). What’s more, in the “H2-Mobility” initiative, Daimler has joined forces with energy suppliers and the mineral oil industry to develop an extensive hydrogen infrastructure in Germany.

Multi-lane road to the future
“Electric mobility is becoming an increasingly large part of our daily lives. And we are very well set up for this,” says Dr Thomas Weber. “But we also realise that electric mobility will not come at the push of a button. This is why, for our current and future cars, we have chosen an intelligent drive mix which also includes one other vital ingredient: excitement. That’s because the car – and in particular the premium car – will remain what it always has been for us: a highly emotive product.”

Customers want safe, comfortable and powerful vehicles that are also extremely efficient and environmentally compatible. The central challenge is to make motor vehicles even more efficient and clean without compromising on comfort or safety. By developing optimised vehicles with high-tech internal combustion engine, hybrid drives with a choice of output ratings and electric vehicles with battery or fuel cell, Mercedes-Benz is consciously taking a multi-lane route to ever more environmentally compatible and eventually zero-emission vehicles. In this way it is possible to provide sustainable mobility with great variety at a high level.

Source: Daimler AG

In the process, the designers use a distinctive design idiom in order to give each vehicle an individual sensual tone that meets the highest aesthetic standards. In all of the model series, the vehicle design reflects the brand’s basic attributes of safety, quality, performance, dynamism, and innovative strength.

The continuous development of the Mercedes design idiom is a shared mission performed by more than 450 employees in Sindelfingen and four studios in Italy, Japan, China, and the U.S. They refine the stylistic attributes and come up with new ideas to build “design bridges” into the future. As a consequence, the Mercedes-Benz design idiom remains alive in every detail — always modern, but never faddish.

Reinterpretation of the typical Mercedes-Benz brand design idiom
A glimpse of the future design idiom of Mercedes-Benz is provided by the F 800 Style research vehicle, which is both a technology platform and a design statement. The F 800 Style was created through close cooperation between the technical research and advance engineering departments and the advanced design studios in Sindelfingen and Como, Italy. Its exterior appearance is marked by a long wheelbase, short body overhangs, and a sensually flowing roof line. The exciting coupe-like roof line, and in general the vehicle’s balanced proportions, lend it a stylish sporty look that reinterprets the Mercedes-Benz design idiom.

Source: Daimler AG

Mercedes-Benz presented a coupé study whose lines and design differed markedly from the models it had produced to date. In place of the conventional rectangular headlamps and the striking chrome-finished radiator grille, the coupé’s front design featured four oval headlamps, curved wings, and a radiator grille integrated harmoniously into the bonnet. Industry experts clearly recognised that these features heralded a new beginning. Mercedes-Benz went on the offensive – not only on a design level, but in terms of brand strategy, too.

Just two years later, the twin headlamp face was reality, launched on the E-Class in mid-1995. The message was perfectly clear: The appearance of the Stuttgart-based car brand as a whole was to become as attractive and dynamic as the saloon. The slogan employed at the time – “See Mercedes with new eyes” – was to be taken literally in two respects, with Mercedes-Benz advancing from a specialist for luxury-segment vehicles to an exclusive full-line manufacturer offering high-quality premium vehicles for a host of market segments.

This dynamic development process has a name: product offensive. In the space of a few years, the five model series (C-, E-, G-, S- and SL-Class) on which the product portfolio was based at the beginning of the 1990s grew into 15 model series comprising well over 110 variants. Mercedes’ recent history demonstrates the importance of design to the brand’s image and market success – whereby this applies equally to other brands, of course. As modern automobiles become increasingly similar on a technical level, the lines of the body and the interior colour design or appointments are emerging as the most important distinguishing features.

Design is of even greater significance to Mercedes-Benz, however – it is literally a trademark. Design has been shaping the image of the Mercedes brand for more than 100 years, visualising typical Mercedes brand values such as fascination, responsibility, and perfection. In this light, design performs important functions on two levels – and Mercedes design has been highly successful on both fronts for many years now: The lines of the automobiles not only ensure the appeal of the product, but also serve to reflect the philosophy and profile of the Stuttgart-based automobile brand. In other words: Design both visualises and shapes brand values.

Design must also appeal to the emotions, however, instilling enthusiasm for the automobile and making a model a true object of desire. “Love at first sight” has long become a slogan pinpointing a concrete reality for the automobile business. Design must not only arouse such positive emotions, but also sustain them over many years. The psychological tie evolves from recognition through identification to brand awareness. Beyond developing attractive and functional individual products, design thus also needs to create brand identity.

Identity and continuity
For Mercedes-Benz the subject of brand identity has always been a core task which is pursued with incomparable rigour. What is a typical Mercedes-Benz? What is the core of the Mercedes brand? These questions are easy to answer, as today everyone knows what a Mercedes looks like. But long-term strategies and conceptual continuity are necessary in order to develop and maintain such a successful brand image. While the design of Mercedes models should point the way to the future, their essential lines must not depart from their root origins. This ensures that every new Mercedes-Benz is provided with a distinctive identity and that its premium-brand provenance is immediately apparent. At the same time, this also means that fashion fads are no option for the Mercedes designers, as they lack the long-term effect that is integral to Mercedes-Benz. The product life of around 20 years which is quite realistic for Mercedes automobiles rules out short-lived design gimmicks. The high market value that Mercedes passenger cars retain even after many years is attributable not least of all to the fact that an earlier Mercedes-Benz does not look old. Even when follow-up models are premiered their predecessors do not pale in comparison, but remain desirable propositions, above all because their design is made to last.

A Mercedes-Benz will always be recognisable as a Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes designers devote meticulous care to ensuring that certain stylistic features always retain their essential design in the course of their ongoing development. In this connection, the designers refer to the brand’s “gene pool”, on which they draw to maintain and facelift the brand.

A good example here is the hallmark Mercedes radiator grille – a feature which has characterised and distinguished Mercedes automobiles for over 100 years. The design of the radiator grille has undergone continuous development over this long period. The designers endeavour to reinterpret both the basic proportions and the details of this identifying feature in order to create a fresh and modern appearance.

This principle applies equally to the sporty variant – the so-called SL radiator. This was adopted directly from motor racing in the 1950s, since when it has been a symbol for the Mercedes sports cars. Similarly to the saloon radiator, the design of this element is also subject to continual re-interpretation. Each of the five SL generations which Mercedes-Benz has presented since the legendary gull-winged model clearly demonstrates the relationship between tradition and progress: Although each model reveals recognisable analogies to its predecessors, its design has clearly undergone further development to herald a new design era.

Such a detailed approach keeps the design and brand image alive, innovative and dynamic while retaining their distinctive character. Mercedes-Benz has pursued this strategy since the mid-1990s, successfully establishing itself in new market segments, winning over new customers to the brand and also performing an important trend-setting role.

The twin headlamp face serves as an example here. It also put an end to the era of rectangular headlamps among other car companies and was widely imitated throughout the world. This highlights the stylistic quality of this concept, which is applied with highly individual effects not only in the E-Class but also among other models at Mercedes-Benz, always giving rise to attractive and inspiring new interpretations – as illustrated most recently by the new generation of the CLS. In this way, Mercedes designers demonstrate continuity and creativity as they set new design trends. Undertaking perceivable modifications to established products without altering their essential character is another facet of the art of Mercedes design.

Adhering too strictly to this interpretative doctrine harbours a risk of sacrificing stylistic creativity to design continuity, however. This stifles individuality. Such drab uniformity is foreign to Mercedes-Benz. Every model – from luxury saloon, through coupé and roadster to compact car – has its own distinct personality. The well-known common design features are combined with new style elements which initially cause surprise. In conjunction with familiar elements they serve to continually recondition the way in which the Stuttgart automobile brand is perceived.

Trends and reality
Identifying and shaping trends are key tasks for car designers. They live in the present, but their real business is the future. This requires a very finely tuned understanding of changes in customers’ habits, new attitudes to daily life and aesthetic or colour trends from other fields, such as the furniture or electronics industries. Other cultures also provide a source of inspiration. With this in mind, Mercedes designers work not only in Germany, but also in Italy, Japan, China and the USA. The Advanced Design Studios which the car brand has set up at all these locations serve as seismographs, recording and analysing stylistic trends and incorporating them into the creative process. In particular, this involves intuitively picking up on developments which might be suitable for incorporation into timeless design and acquiring an instinct for important, lasting trends in art, culture, and society.

Looking into the future and tracking down new trends in this way are not enough on their own, however. In view of the diverse and diffuse array of ideas on offer for the future, the question arises as to what trends are actually suitable as a source of inspiration for a brand such as Mercedes-Benz. It has always been of crucial importance for Mercedes-Benz to be modern without slavishly following the latest fashions.

It is thus important to distinguish short-lived trends from lasting developments, so as to identify customers’ true future expectations. Rather than briefing on the latest trends, Mercedes designers thus need well founded forecasts and concrete answers to questions regarding how people will live tomorrow, what forms consumer behaviour will take and – above all – how future customers can be enthused. The challenge is thus to consider possible future developments, thereby thinking beyond the immediate reality shaped by trends and fashions.

Passion and rationality
This is perhaps the most important and interesting aspect defining automobile designers’ work. The focus is on people – customers and their personalities. Motoring today is no longer simply a matter of reaching one’s destination in safety and comfort. More than ever, the journey is expected to be an experience in its own right. An enjoyable experience, because the driver and passengers feel at home in the vehicle and the car suits the owner’s personal lifestyle – and because the car provides a very good means of demonstrating this style to others.

In addition to market and social research studies, the Mercedes designers glean valuable pointers for new, future-oriented vehicle and design concepts in particular in conversation with motorists in all parts of the globe. A case in point is the CLS, which seamlessly and attractively embodies two different characters: The stylish fascination and strong emotional charisma of a coupé harmonise with the comfort and functionality of a saloon. As such, the four-door coupé chimes in with the ambitions of modern people who seek and value the exceptional and who also aspire to pronounced individuality, stylish aesthetics, and high lifestyle value in their choice of automobile. We thus aptly refer to the CLS as a “coupé for connoisseurs”.

The focus on relaxation, security, wellness, pleasure, and aesthetics is characteristic of a specific lifestyle. Ever more people are striving to live life more fully and more consciously. They seek the “feel-good factor” and the finer things in life – and their car is no exception here. The sensual perception of a product plays a more prominent role than ever. This is confirmed by the worldwide market success of the CLS and other Mercedes passenger cars which meet these customer expectations.

Lifestyle and pleasure
Maintaining the appeal of attractive appointments over many years is a key task in the field of interior design and is acquiring growing importance for design work. The interior of a car is seen as an environment in which people spend a great deal of time. Ensuring a pleasant environment is thus also becoming increasingly important inside automobiles.

Customers have definitely become more demanding and sensitive in this respect in recent years. In addition to a diverse range of trims and appointments from which they can pick and choose according to their own individual tastes and personalities, they also attach special importance to high-quality materials and excellent workmanship. These communicate values such as aesthetics, comfort and quality in a directly perceptible manner in the context of the overall visual impression.

The aim of the interior design in Mercedes-Benz automobiles can be summed up in a few words: On boarding the vehicle and closing the doors, users should feel at home immediately. Surrounded by attractive forms, their eyes take in valuable, hand-crafted fine wood trims as they enjoy the feel of soft leather seat surfaces and the look of pleasant, warm colours. This is the world of Mercedes-Benz.

Form and function
For all their love of detail, automobile designers are not “wrapping artists” who are in the business of simply wrapping up new technologies or new vehicle concepts in attractive packaging. They are also instrumental in initiating future-oriented ideas and incorporating them into series production development. The previously mentioned four-door Coupé of the CLS is just one example in this connection. Mercedes-Benz’s overall product offensive demonstrates how closely product strategy, design, and technology work together within the Stuttgart-based car brand.

Mercedes designers are integrated into the concept phase and the technical development process for new models right from the very outset. This, in turn, means that design work is teamwork – the design studio of a high-volume manufacturer is not a dream factory. Designers and engineers must be willing to reach compromises within this team, in order to arrive at viable solutions that meet all the given requirements. As such, automobile designers face far more difficult tasks than their colleagues in other branches of industry. The car is one of the few industrial products of which customers expect not only an attractive exterior but also a perfectly designed interior. In addition, the car is a product comprising different individual areas. Some of the details involved here are as complex as entire products in other industries.

Functionality and aesthetics, technology and craftsmanship – apparently contradictory attributes need to be reconciled in a modern automobile to produce a harmonious overall concept. This aim is achieved when design and engineering complement one another at a high standard. In this context, functionality and good design are not natural foes.

Technical innovations have always formed part of the brand’s history at Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes engineers have written automotive history with numerous pioneering innovations: Crumple zone, ABS, airbag, belt tensioner, Electronic Stability Programme ESP®, PRE-SAFE® and other milestones of passenger car technology first went into series production at Mercedes-Benz. In other words, technology leadership is integral to the brand philosophy. The function of design is to visualise this leadership aspiration and to set trends in its own way.

Visions and emotions
Showcars, concept or research vehicles are also used to this end. They are designed and developed to lend concrete form to automotive visions, to test new vehicle concepts or technologies, to intensify the dialogue with customers and to analyse the public’s reaction to such automotive ideas. Mercedes-Benz also carries out such car studies as a platform for exploring future styles and to offer designers a means of developing and realising new design idioms.

A look at the recent past of the Mercedes-Benz brand shows how such automotive visions can develop very swiftly into concrete series production projects. The CLS, the R-Class, and the SLR McLaren super sports car were all preceded by high-profile concept vehicles which made their mark above all by virtue of their design, thus preparing the ground for the introduction of the new model series to the public.

The F-Series sees the designers looking yet further into the future. These projects, such as the current F 800 Style, present new technologies to provide a foretaste of tomorrow’s world of motoring. Providing these innovations with a design which is both future-oriented and appealing represents an exciting challenge for the team of designers working on these research vehicles. The aim is to create a harmonious composition embodying the three elements of expressive forms, new vehicle concepts, and unique technology. These projects thus call for particular imagination and creativity in order to reconcile design and technology.
From research vehicles to standard products – an automobile is always perceived on a sensual level. Its emotional impact is all-pervasive. Long before any technical data or innovations become apparent, desires are aroused by a car’s appearance alone – that is, by its design. It is the designers’ fascinating task to arouse these emotions and to keep them alive. The object of their work is to reconcile technology and design so as to develop automobiles which boast both technical and emotional intelligence.

The designers’ work is successful when customers buy cars not on rational grounds alone, but on listening to their hearts and minds in equal portion.

Source: Daimler AG

For the coming generation of series production models, the creative staff look five or ten years ahead. The designers at the five Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios travel even further into the future, thinking three or more decades down the road. Future mobility is a leitmotif common to all strands of the design process which involves pursuing the ongoing development of the Mercedes-Benz design idiom and defining trends with new design ideas to keep a Mercedes looking fresh, aesthetic and stylish in the future without denying its roots and brand identity. For these designers, the future has long begun.

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Global Advanced Design – the Mercedes-Benz design studios
The first Advanced Design Studio abroad went into operation in California in June 1990. Today, designers and modellers in Carlsbad apply themselves to evolving concepts for the exteriors of tomorrow’s vehicles at premises covering around 1,200 square metres. A regular exchange of ideas and creative personnel takes place between the centre and its sister studios in Tokyo and Sindelfingen. The fourth studio in Como (Italy) is concerned exclusively with the interiors of future vehicles. The Villa Salazar close to the shore of Lake Como was formerly used by Gianni Versace for the production of ties and bow-ties. The latest Advanced Design Studio was recently inaugurated in Peking.

Professor h.c. Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Mercedes-Benz, is responsible for all the studios. In addition to the team of around 440 designers who are concerned with the design of production vehicles, more than 60 designers are devoted to evolving the concepts which project the Mercedes brand up to half a century into the future. The creative staff in Como soak up regional influences in evolving ideas for the interiors of new vehicles. This famous triangle between the cities of Como, Milan and Turin is home to the furniture and fashion industries. Traditional craftsmanship enjoys a very high standing here – an ideal environment for the Advanced Design Studio. The same applies to the Asia region. The markets in Japan and China – both of which are of great importance to Mercedes-Benz – demand perfectly crafted vehicles offering the utmost in ergonomics and functionality. The design studios in Tokyo and Peking track down trends in this field, refining them and incorporating them into vehicle design. Particularly Tokyo as a megacity is an important trendsetter for the item “downsizing” in the premium segment. The designer challenge fundamental questions, for example what “being mobile” may mean in the future.

“Rather than chasing after fads, we seek to track down long-term trends which will enhance the value of our brand over decades,” says Professor Wagener. “Ideas which meet the highest standards in terms of technology, performance, comfort and safety.” A designer thus needs to “live in the future”, thinking at least two to three generations of vehicle ahead. As such, the Advanced Design Studios provide creative environments in which the designers are able to indulge their imaginations, free of the constraints of series production considerations.

Production vehicle design at Mercedes-Benz – seamless quality
Design for production vehicles focuses on specific follow-up models on the basis of precisely defined performance or production specifications or legal requirements. This is a challenge which requires the disciplined application of creativity, adhering closely to concrete requirements. Under the direction of the Design Center in Sindelfingen, the designers throughout the world are involved in all the development processes relating to a new vehicle, be it a passenger car, commercial vehicle or bus, Mercedes-Benz, smart, or Maybach. From strategic and concept planning through operative process management to the actual design work, the Mercedes-Benz designers work in various departments on solutions for the automotive design of future production models.

1. Passenger car design: strategy and concept development
Mercedes-Benz Design creates and evolves vehicle designs from the architecture phase to the series production process. The Design remit also extends to creative development and the design of possible new model series and their variants for the Mercedes-Benz portfolio. Future mobility solutions and innovative showcars are also evolved from the initial design study to the prototype suitable for driving, in close consultation with the areas of Research and Development. In additional to actual vehicle design, the designers also carry out product design orders from exclusive premium manufacturers in areas such as transport, industrial design, lifestyle, and furniture under the Mercedes-Benz Style brand.

2. Passenger car design: control and management
All automobile design projects launched by Mercedes-Benz are centrally managed. The Design Center in Sindelfingen controls the design process throughout an automobile’s entire life cycle in terms of quality, schedule management and cost control. The available know-how is deployed for the entire vehicle, comprising the exterior and interior, from the strategy phase through vehicle development and production up to the end of the series production phase. The designers are responsible for producing all design exhibits, from the clay model through 1:1 models to the mock-up and data control model, for creating all the data models required in the design process and for releasing all spline data for transfer to the tool process. The spline of a vehicle is the mathematically perfect geometric representation of the interior and exterior surfaces which are visible to the customer, taking into account all technical and aesthetic design requirements.

3. Passenger car design: exterior design
From A- to S-Class, from SLK to SLS, the designers develop the design of all passenger car series and are responsible for the exterior as well as user interface design and ergonomics. They apply themselves to the attendant projects throughout the entire development phase. The Design Center is also responsible for the design work which is necessary in the course of a model’s life cycle, such as facelifts and modifications relating to change years.

4. Passenger car design: interior design
Beyond the traditional vehicle interior comprising seats, doors, roof liner, and dashboard with controls, the interior designers also design the graphics in the on-board computer, the menu structure, and the entire control logic. They require various specialists for the different tasks involved, such as product, graphic and software designers. Specialists for colour and trim create both the colours and the all material textures for the exterior and the interior of a car. From leather grains to metal structures and the gloss level of all surfaces every detail is accurately selected and adapted. Often distinct degrees of difference are deciding. Strategic strengthening of the interior area is necessary, as it has become much more complex in recent years and acquired greater importance.

5. Van and truck design
In the area of commercial vehicles, Mercedes-Benz designers develop the design of the Vito, Viano, Sprinter and Vario van series and the Accelo, Atego, Axor and Actros lines, along with the corresponding Unimog, Econic and S 2000 special-purpose vehicles. They carry out cross-brand and cross-range work in the Dodge (vans), Freightliner and Mitsubishi (trucks) programmes. The scope of design work covers the complete vehicle, comprising interior and exterior. The designers are concerned with the model series throughout the entire design process up to the start of production – from the initial design study through model selection and the decision on design freeze and release of the data control model to the coordination of design-specific measures and components.

The design procedure at Mercedes-Benz – ten steps to the finished automobile
The overall process from the initial drawing to final approval of the model takes around three years. Over this period a new Mercedes passes through a seemingly endless succession of development stages in which the designers work incrementally towards the final vehicle. The team slowly transforms initially competing design studies into the next generation of a Mercedes-Benz vehicle.

1. Drawing/rendering: As in the fashion world, the design process for an automobile always begins with a drawing, which may be produced by hand or on a computer. Ideas which previously only existed inside the designer’s head become visible.

2. Digital/package: A virtual image of the new automobile is created on a computer. Proportions, dimensions and contours are simulated and checked for coherence and harmony.

3. 1:4 clay models: Not everything can be simulated on a computer. The next step thus entails producing clay models of every variant of a new automobile. Only then are the designers able to judge whether their designs also produce the desired effect in three dimensions.

4. Model selection: The final form of the new automobile is chosen from numerous variants. The exterior form of the future Mercedes-Benz model is decided at this point.

5. Cut model: The 1:4 clay model is scaled up to the vehicle’s final dimensions. The first full-size “prototype” is produced.

6. 1:1 model: All the details of the new model are produced manually. A strikingly authentic model is created. All the characteristic features of the new car become apparent.

7. Interior sketches:The first step in the interior design process also involves producing drawings and renderings. The various equipment lines are created here – the interior in which the future driver is to feel at home. The leitmotif here is “perfect aesthetics” – a design approach committed to realising an attractive interior.

8. Colours & trims/control and display concepts:The materials and colours for the interior are chosen. The trim lines for the future automobile are defined from hundreds of fabric and leather samples and a quite endless spectrum of colours.

9. Interior clay model/interior data control model: The effects of all materials and colours are checked under “real conditions” on elaborately produced 1:1 interior models. Each material and colour is allocated a code and specified.

10. Model approval: Each design process concludes with approval of the model by the Board of Management. Following this approval, the new Mercedes-Benz is released for production.

Source: Daimler AG

The smart 454 is produced by “Smart Granny Robots” (SGR) using weight watch technologies (WWT). These incredible high-tech robots are equipped with huge knitting needles. Like our grandmothers used to knit, they knit the smart’s tridion cell from carbon fibres. This knitting creates complex shapes and structures which enable the vehicle geometry to be optimised in terms of weight and strength. When empty, the visionary small car weighs in at just 454 kilogrammes.

For the Los Angeles Design Challenge international car design studios were invited to design a visionary car weighing 1,000 American pounds (approx. 454 kilogrammes). The four-seater small car had to be safe and comfortable, offer good handling performance and first-class design. Steffen Köhl, Head of Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design says: “As the prototype of the lightweight and environmentally friendly city car smart is predestined for this challenge. It met all the basic requirements. We just had to further optimise the lightweight construction coupled with a distinctive and individual design.”

Lightweight design with different materials for an individual look
Every single component of the smart 454 is made of different materials to give it characteristic features and a specific look. Every part is manufactured with the precise materials necessary for a perfect balance between weight and function. The windows, fenders, and bumpers are made of recyclable, coloured plastic. The roof is made of thin yet highly durable recycled textile fabric in various printed and woven patterns. The WWT carbon fibre tyres with integrated suspension have an extremely lightweight design and rule out the risk of a flat tyre. The unique SGR technology is the best lightweight design technology for rims and enables truly unique rims to be produced.

The smart 454 is driven by two 15 kW electric motors which are powered by a replaceable lithium-ion battery. The motors are housed between the rear wheels. In the interior the city runabout does not need an instrument panel at all. All functions are controlled and managed via an iPad, for example speedometer and battery charge indicator, navigation system, or air conditioning.

The modular “clip-on” design principle familiar from smart enables a sheer endless spectrum of customer wishes to be easily realised. Doors, roof, engine, and transmission are simple to exchange – for an individual look and driving fun and the best possible vehicle configuration for every occasion.

Source: Daimler AG

Taking their inspiration from nature, they designed a vehicle which is fully integrated into the ecosystem, from the moment of its creation right through to the end of its service life. The Mercedes-Benz BIOME grows in a completely organic environment from seeds sown in a nursery. Out on the road the car emits pure oxygen, and at the end of its lifespan it can be simply composted or used as building material.

“As the inventor of the motor car, we wanted to illustrate the vision of the perfect vehicle of the future, which is created and functions in complete symbiosis with nature. The Mercedes-Benz BIOME is a natural technology hybrid, and forms part of our earth’s ecosystem. It grows and thrives like the leaves on a tree” according to Hubert Lee, Head of the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios in Carlsbad. This year the competition had called for the creation of a vision of a safe and comfortable 2+2 compact car featuring good handling and a first-class design, and weighing only 1,000 lbs (around 454 kg/kerb weight).

Mercedes-Benz symbiosis – a partnership with nature
The Mercedes-Benz BIOME symbiosis vehicle is made from an ultralight material called BioFibre and tips the scales at just 875.5 lbs (around 394 kg). This material is significantly lighter than metal or plastic, yet more robust than steel. BioFibre is grown from proprietary DNA in the Mercedes-Benz nursery, where it collects energy from the sun and stores it in a liquid chemical bond called BioNectar4534. As part of this process, the vehicle is created from two seeds: The interior of the BIOME grows from the DNA in the Mercedes star on the front of the vehicle, while the exterior grows from the star on the rear. To accommodate specific customer requirements, the Mercedes star is genetically engineered in each case, and the vehicle “grows” when the genetic code is combined with the seed capsule. The wheels are grown from four separate seeds.

The Mercedes-Benz BIOME is powered by BioNectar4534, which is stored in the BioFibre material of the chassis, interior, and wheels. In addition, Mercedes-Benz has developed a technology to equip trees with special receptors which can collect the excess solar energy and turn it into BioNectar4534. This creates a direct link with nature’s energy sources and acts as an incentive to cover mobility energy requirements through more trees and at the same time maintain natural resources. Like plants, the Mercedes-Benz symbiosis vehicle also produces oxygen, thereby contributing to improving air quality. At the end of its service life, the Mercedes-Benz BIOME can be fully composted or used as building material. Thanks to the exclusive use of green technologies, the BIOME vehicle thus blends seamlessly into the ecosystem.

Source: Daimler AG

The central challenge is to make motor vehicles even more efficient and cleaner without compromising safety or comfort. In order to make possible sustainable mobility with great variety at a high level, Mercedes-Benz is consciously taking a multilane route to ever more environmentally friendly and eventually zero-emission vehicles:

– Lane one involves optimized vehicles equipped with high-tech internal combustion engines
– Lane two features hybrid drives in various output ratings
– Lane three comprises electric vehicles with batteries or fuel cells

Mercedes-Benz has taken the entire spectrum of innovative technologies and vehicles that enable especially clean and efficient mobility and brought them together under the name BlueEFFICIENCY. At the same time, BlueEFFICIENCY also designates an intelligent package of measures, custom-designed for each vehicle type, that exploit all of the possibilities in and on the vehicle.

These possibilities include lightweight construction and aerodynamic optimization as well as the central key to more efficiency and environmental compatibility — the electrification of the vehicle and its drive, from ancillary components to the ECO start/stop function. Mercedes-Benz is consistently rolling out BlueEFFICIENCY in all model series — from the A-Class to the S-Class — and it will be available in 85 models by the end of 2010. The new CLS is a good example; here, the combination of innovative direct injection gasoline engines (BlueDIRECT) with the standard ECO start/stop function and other BlueEFFICIENCY measures ensures that fuel consumption is up to 25 percent lower than for previous models.

Powerful lithium-ion batteries
Daimler is working with its partners on the development of state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries. This work forms the basis of made-to-measure solutions for Daimler’s unique product portfolio, which covers all mobility requirements. Daimler benefits here from the expertise it has accumulated through many years of research work. Indeed, the company has filed more than 600 patents to date for battery-powered vehicles — and more than 230 of these involve lithium-ion technology. Targeted cooperation with capable partners ensures that the battery systems optimally meet all vehicle and application-specific requirements. Daimler now has its own battery manufacturing capacity for state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries at Deutsche Accumotive. These batteries can be produced to conform to any type of hybrid or electric drive system, whether for passenger cars or commercial vehicles.

Source: Daimler AG

Mercedes-Benz defines the benchmarks in active safety technology with intelligent assistance systems that turn the vehicle into the driver’s “thinking partner.” These systems, available since 2009 in the CL-, E- and S-Class and starting this year in the new CLS-Class as well, go into operation specifically in the situations that are responsible for the most common types of accident, such as those due to lane changing, overtiredness, or restricted visibility at night.

ESF 2009: The future of automotive safety
The focus during the development of the numerous safety innovations in the Experimental Safety Vehicle (ESF) 2009 was on the critical phase immediately preceding an accident. The systems presented in the ESF 2009 improve the safety potential within the extremely short period of 600 milliseconds between the recognition of an unavoidable accident and the accident itself. In this way, accidents can either be prevented or their consequences can be significantly reduced.

Selected milestones in Mercedes-Benz safety development
1939 – Start of safety development for passenger cars
1959 – Safety body
1969 – Establishment of Mercedes-Benz accident research
1978 – ABS Anti-Lock Brake System
1980 – Airbag, seat belt tensioner
1989 – Automatic rollbar
1995 – Electronic Stability Program (ESP®)
1996 – Brake Assist (BAS)
1998 – DISTRONIC
1999 – Active Body Control (ABC), tire pressure monitoring system
2002 – PRE-SAFE®
2003 – Active light function
2005 – DISTRONIC PLUS, Brake Assist PLUS, Night View Assist
2006 – PRE-SAFE® Brake, Intelligent Light System
2009 – Speed Limit Assist, ATTENTION ASSIST, Lane Keeping Assist, Blind Spot Assist
2010 – LED high-performance headlight, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist

Source: Daimler AG

Operating comfort, ergonomics, air conditioning, low noise levels, handling properties, and many other factors affect a driver’s condition behind the wheel, and thus also his or her ability to keep an overview of the traffic situation. After all, only a relaxed driver is also a safe driver. Mercedes-Benz researchers have been investigating this complex topic, called “physiological well-being,” for many years, and Mercedes-Benz has consistently applied their findings to improve its series-production vehicles. As a result, it has been proven that Mercedes drivers stay for a longer time fit and concentrated.

Prime examples of the progress achieved in this field are the carefully designed, intuitive control and display concepts and the intelligent Driving Assistance systems, which turn the automobile into a partner that thinks along with the person behind the wheel.

DISTRONIC — looking ahead and setting the pace
One example is the DISTRONIC PLUS Traffic Jam Vehicle Follow Assist introduced in the latest Mercedes-Benz research vehicle, the F 800 Style. The success story of this system began in 1962, when Mercedes-Benz became the first European automaker to offer a mechanical speed control system. This comfort feature was subsequently enhanced so that the cruise control system could keep the vehicle at a constant speed even after the gears were shifted.

In 1998 Mercedes-Benz launched the world’s first “electronic copilot” — the DISTRONIC proximity control — on the market. A radar sensor in the radiator grille enables the system to monitor the traffic situation up to 150 meters in front of the vehicle. If the gap between the car and the vehicle up ahead decreases, the DISTRONIC proximity control automatically decelerates or operates the brakes if necessary.

Mercedes-Benz consistently enhanced this high-performance assistance system and introduced the improved version as the DISTRONIC PLUS proximity control in 2005. By combining the previous DISTRONIC radar (77 GHz) with the newly developed short-range radar (24 GHz), Mercedes was able to further extend the working range of the proximity control system and increase the speed control range from 30-180 km/h to 0-200 km/h. This has the advantage that when the traffic tails back, DISTRONIC PLUS automatically brakes the vehicle to a standstill and then accelerates the car back to the set speed as soon as the traffic situation allows.

In combination with the PRE-SAFE® brake introduced in 2006 and Brake Assist PLUS, DISTRONIC PLUS effectively helps to prevent accidents. For example, DISTRONIC PLUS automatically reduces the car’s speed when the driver approaches the rear of a traffic jam. If the driver fails to respond or reacts too slowly, the smart braking systems can prevent a rear-end collision or at least reduce the severity of the accident.
The world’s first system that allows a car to automatically follow the vehicle ahead of it even when driving along curves — the DISTRONIC PLUS Traffic Jam Vehicle Follow Assist — made its debut in the F 800 Style research vehicle in spring 2010.

This system takes over both the distance control and the steering effort at speeds up to approximately 40 km/h. Drivers can, of course, override the system at any time by turning the steering wheel. When the 40 km/h mark is exceeded, the steering torque that keeps the vehicle in its lane is gradually reduced to a point at which the system smoothly disengages.

Source: Daimler AG

Using digital prototypes created with powerful computers, a new model can be thoroughly tested in many driving situations at a very early stage of development. These digital representations of the vehicle in question can be taken for virtual drives at an early stage of series development and thus comprehensively evaluated before the vehicle is actually produced. This process enables real-life prototypes to reach technological maturity more quickly so that they can undergo even more in-depth testing. The best development results are therefore achieved by intelligently linking state-of-the-art simulation methods with extensive real-life testing over millions of kilometers, which will remain an indispensable part of the development process. So simulation and simulators are not considered substitutes for real tests; instead, they are regarded as the best possible supplement to actual testing.

Another key advantage of the Driving Simulation Center is that all the simulators are under one roof there. This allows to use them for their specific purposes with high efficiency in terms of time and costs. Also unique in the automotive world is the fact that the Driving Simulation Center is located so close to the other research and development areas in Sindelfingen, including design. The intensive interdisciplinary sharing of knowledge contributes a lot to our ability to shorten development times while significantly boosting the maturity of our products. In the end, that means greater efficiency and even higher quality in every respect — and that is how the Driving Simulation Center makes a vital contribution to the future competitiveness of Mercedes-Benz.

Source: Daimler AG

The company confirms its claim for technological leadership again and again by registering more than 80,000 patents since Carl Benz presented the “Patent Motor Car” in 1886 and Gottlieb Daimler presented the “motorized carriage” in the same year. The focus of the company´s holistic commitment is the technological refinement of the automobile, and here Mercedes-Benz is setting the standards in all the relevant areas, from design and comfort to safety and drive systems. The pioneering developments from Mercedes, which in many cases benefit not only our customers but also those of other brands — ABS and the Electronic Stability Program ESP® are examples — are the result of a consistent innovation strategy that our highly motivated employees put into practice every day and implement with the help of state-of-the-art development methods.

Smart solutions for new mobility requirements
The world is changing at a rapid pace — and so are the overall requirements for automobiles. Among the most important influencing factors are the new mobility requirements people have in times of ongoing urbanization. In order to offer the right answers to challenges such as the current and future mobility needs in megacities and conurbations, the company is also forging ahead with the development of smart mobility concepts for metropolitan regions. Exemplary for that are the successful car-sharing concept “car2go” as well as an especially customer-friendly web-based ride-sharing service called “car2gether.” Both of these initiatives aim to make individual mobility in metropolitan areas flexible, environmentally compatible, and affordable, and thus to safeguard it over the long term.

“The best or nothing” — in the past, present, and future
Carl Benz once said, “The passion for invention never ends.” And Gottlieb Daimler phrased the famous maxim “The best or nothing.” Mercedes-Benz has been pursuing these objectives for almost 125 years. The spirit of innovation is one of the most important driving forces, and it is firmly embedded in our corporate culture — always with the objective of safeguarding individual mobility in the long term and offering every customer the vehicle that optimally fulfills his or her personal requirements. The foundation of this capacity for innovation is the systematic research work done at Mercedes-Benz, which resulted in the official establishment of an own research unit in the early 1970s. Today Mercedes-Benz can rely on a global knowledge network consisting of approximately 19,000 researchers and developers all over the world. It is an interdisciplinary think tank full of pioneering spirit, expertise, and the ambition to continue in the future to build the best automobiles in the world.

From the vehicle to the mobility concept – Stocking Up on Ideas: New Ideas for the Mobility of Today and Tomorrow
What will the cars of tomorrow look like? And how will people’s mobility requirements develop in the future? The development experts at Daimler and Mercedes-Benz find answers to basic questions like these with the help of such activities as market research and customer feedback, technology monitoring, and futurology research. The company can look back on a long tradition of such activities. For over 30 years, interdisciplinary and international research teams have been working to anticipate long-term trends and social developments and to apply their conclusions to the area of mobility. This future-oriented way of working — which involves stocking up on ideas — generates new solutions that anticipate changing conditions and new customer requirements rather than merely reacting to them.

One of these innovations is the NAFA two-seater concept car (“NAFA” is the German acronym for “short-distance vehicle”), which Mercedes-Benz developed in the 1980s. Even then, the company was taking into account the trend of urbanization, which is proceeding at an ever faster pace today all over the world. The concept behind the NAFA was the starting point of a parallel development that resulted in two successful series-produced models in the 1990s: the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, as the founder of the segment of compact premium vehicles, and the smart, the pioneer of intelligent urban mobility. Both cars — as well as the Mercedes-Benz B-Class — were designed for alternative drive systems from the very start, and today they are pioneers of electric mobility with zero local emissions: as smart fortwo electric drive and Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-CELL with battery electric drive and as Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL with electric drive using fuel cell technology. These vehicles are being used for purposes including “e-mobility” projects, for instance in Berlin and Italy (the smart fortwo electric drive and the A-Class E-CELL), and are thus helping to pave the way toward mobility with zero local emissions.

Source: Daimler AG

The company can look back on a long tradition of such activities. For over 30 years, interdisciplinary and international research teams have been working to anticipate long-term trends and social developments and to apply their conclusions to the area of mobility. This future-oriented way of working — which involves stocking up on ideas — generates new solutions that anticipate changing conditions and new customer requirements rather than merely reacting to them.

One of these innovations is the NAFA two-seater concept car (“NAFA” is the German acronym for “short-distance vehicle”), which Mercedes-Benz developed in the 1980s. Even then, the company was taking into account the trend of urbanization, which is proceeding at an ever faster pace today all over the world. The concept behind the NAFA was the starting point of a parallel development that resulted in two successful series-produced models in the 1990s: the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, as the founder of the segment of compact premium vehicles, and the smart, the pioneer of intelligent urban mobility. Both cars — as well as the Mercedes-Benz B-Class — were designed for alternative drive systems from the very start, and today they are pioneers of electric mobility with zero local emissions: as smart fortwo electric drive and Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-CELL with battery electric drive and as Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL with electric drive using fuel cell technology. These vehicles are being used for purposes including “e-mobility” projects, for instance in Berlin and Italy (the smart fortwo electric drive and the A-Class E-CELL), and are thus helping to pave the way toward mobility with zero local emissions.

Source: Daimler AG

Basically, it is all about asking the right questions and discussing possible answers with the customers in as detailed a manner as possible. Combined with market research findings and studies of trends and the overall environment, this results in a set of coordinates for interesting market segments. After that, the CRC experts generate and test the appropriate possibilities for products and solutions.

The Mercedes-Benz Customer Research Center is unique in the global automo-tive industry because it conducts psychology-focused customer research in a seamless manner and with a holistic approach. Mercedes-Benz thus has at its disposal a one-of-a-kind interconnected laboratory landscape, one that incorpo-rates all the aspects that people perceive and can form an opinion about. This laboratory network includes everything from a tactile lab to laboratories for acoustics, light, and long-distance driving trials. Given its complexity, this topic is viewed both holistically and from an intercultural perspective.

The intercultural approach ensures that regional customer requirements, which in some cases are very different, are taken into account. In the past, the focus was primarily on countries like Germany and the U.S. — our traditional core markets — as well as Russia and the UK. In the future, we will be looking just as closely at growth markets such as China, India, Brazil, and the Middle East.

In line with vehicle development cycles, the CRC employees look at customer requirements far in advance, taking into account the aspects that will be important in five, seven, or ten years. This process combines qualitative methods such as discussions and interviews with quantitative techniques that include in-depth real-life analysis. For these long-term tests, customers are given a vehicle to drive for up to one week. They can contact us at any time via a call center in order to report their real-life experiences with the car.

The Innovation Workshop is an “idea generator”
The Innovation Workshop is a separate unit within the CRC that is responsible for generating new ideas. Between 60 and 80 workshops attended by about 1,500 participants take place here every year, with the goal of finding new initial ideas and working on new products. The most important factor for assessing an idea is customer acceptance, which is therefore examined in great detail.

To this end, the unit has developed a four-stage model that simulates the process by which acceptance gradually begins to grow. Starting with the first stage of acceptance, which is based on hearsay, this process chain then extends to (2) “look-listen-and-feel” — in the showroom, for example. It then moves on to (3) “drive-and-feel” during a test drive and culminates in the most important stage — (4) acceptance over a long period of actual use. This process should end with the customers concluding that they have made the right decision and would make it again the next time around. This stage of acceptance is typical of Mercedes-Benz customers — and that can be empirically proved.

Source: Daimler AG

Dedicated processes ensure that many of these ideas are turned into reality at Daimler and Mercedes-Benz. In 2009, too, the company made more initial patent submissions than any other premium manufacturer. More than half of them fall under the heading of “green” technologies, primarily related to driveline. In terms of safety, Mercedes-Benz plans to introduce its radar-controlled Brake Assist BAS in the new B-Class – one example of our consistent cascading of high-tech.

“The passion for inventing never ends,” was the guiding principle of Carl Benz. His conviction that it is always possible to make something good even better is fundamental to the work carried out by Mercedes-Benz to this day. The power of innovation was and is one of the most important elements driving the company, which has managed to submit more than 80,000 patent applications over the course of almost 125 years. Among those are many that have been decisive in the ongoing development of the automobile.

“New ideas are the product of the human mind. And Mercedes-Benz has always been home to highly creative and motivated people,” notes Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. “As a company, we encourage them by giving them room for free and creative thinking and working. And, where expedient, we support them with the necessary systems and processes. In so doing, we ensure that the source of our innovative power never diminishes.”

In order to protect its assertion of innovative leadership, the company has established a global knowledge network, which sees around 19,000 individuals from the Research and Development function contribute their knowledge and expertise from a wide range of disciplines. The company is represented around the world where there are centers of competence in relevant fields of expertise – with highly qualified researchers and the associated scientific community. In 1995, for instance, Mercedes-Benz was the first vehicle manufacturer to open an office in Silicon Valley.

Further local development centers are located close to key production facilities, such as those in Germany and the USA. There are also research offices like those in Ulm, Berlin, Palo Alto (California), Bangalore (India) and Beijing (China). Alongside the “classic” automotive professions like engineer or designer, this network also includes physicists and other scientists, as well as psychologists and sociologists. All these technicians, analysts, researchers and lateral thinkers work hand-in-hand in this interdisciplinary think tank.

More than 2,000 new patent applications in 2009 alone
Last year, the company was once again the premium manufacturer with the most patent applications. More than half of the overall total of 2,070 new developments submitted are related to “green” technologies, with 720 of them apportioned to driveline alone (35 percent). Significant progress was made particularly in the fields of energy efficiency, exhaust gas after-treatment, fuel cell and battery technology. The equally high number of initial patent submissions made in the area of production technology and new materials underscores the leading position held by Mercedes-Benz in “green” technologies. 14 percent of all new developments are attributable to lightweight materials and production processes, e.g. CFC, and to environmentally friendly manufacturing processes.

With extensive investments ongoing in Research and Development, the company is laying the groundwork to ensure that the already high level of innovation is not only maintained over the long term, but expanded.
Mercedes-Benz continues to demonstrate its traditionally outstanding expertise in the fields of safety and comfort with a host of innovations, including pedestrian protection and PRE-SAFE® systems, with Mercedes-Benz vehicles in all market segments benefiting from these developments. The planned introduction of the radar-controlled Brake Assist BAS in the new B-Class is just one example of our consistent cascade approach to high-tech. For models in the luxury-class segments, the camera-based MAGIC BODY CONTROL system is a further innovation in the field of chassis technology that will soon be ready for series production and will celebrate its premiere in the next S-Class.

Intelligent innovation management ensures maximum customer benefit
In order that as many ideas as possible are actually implemented as quickly as possible to the benefit of the customer, Mercedes-Benz has established a process of innovation management which combines creativity and customer benefit. Future research and technology monitoring ensure that new solutions anticipate changing conditions and future customer desires. Customer research such as monitoring product acceptance at the Customer Research Center (CRC) guarantee that customer feedback and innovative ideas are fed into the development of new Mercedes-Benz automobiles from the very beginning.

Driving simulators – the perfect complement to real-life testing
The next phase in the development and testing of vehicles will see the application of a wide range of simulators. With the assistance of “digital prototypes” of a vehicle created by very powerful computers it is now possible, for example, to conduct fully integrated testing of a new model in a wide range of driving situations before an actual vehicle has been built.

Just a few weeks ago, Mercedes-Benz opened the world’s most advanced driving simulator in Sindelfingen. With its 360° screen, high-speed electric operation and twelve-meter rails for longitudinal and lateral movement, it is the most powerful moving simulator in the automotive industry. This is in addition to the intensive practical testing conducted over many millions of kilometers that will remain an indispensible element of the development process.

“The best or nothing” is always the objective at Mercedes-Benz – and, when it comes to innovation, rapid implementation stands shoulder-to-shoulder with high quality and real customer benefits.

Dr. Thomas Weber: “The aim of our work is more rapid technology transfer into series production. To this end, we conduct results-oriented, not knowledge-driven, research. The priority is concrete benefits for the customer, not quantity. Focusing at an early stage on significant innovations facilitates acceleration of the innovation process. The real challenge in this is to bring the right innovations to market at the right time. You see, today more than ever, innovation is the key to success.”

Source: Daimler AG

1906 – Daimler-Motoren-Commanditgesellschaft in Austria launched its first series-produced electric cars: the battery-powered Mercédès Electrique and the Mercédès Mixte with hybrid drive.

1972 – Electric drive system trialled from 1972 to 1974 in the LE 306 van. In spite of the size and weight of the batteries, the vehicle had a range of just 65 kilometres, with a maximum speed of 70 km/h.

1982 – The batteries used in trial electric cars in 1982 were smaller and lighter than the power plant in the LE 306, but still failed to meet the requirements for normal everyday use. The battery pack took up the entire luggage compartment of the estate car.

1992 – From 1992 to 1996 Mercedes-Benz and other automakers tested passenger cars with lead and ZEBRA batteries on the island of Rügen. The car shown in the photograph is the Mercedes-Benz 190 electric concept car (W 201), introduced in 1990.

1994 – Introduction of the NECAR 1 (New Electric Car) as the first automobile with a fuel-cell drive system. The fuel-cell system took up the entire cargo space of the van.

1997 – NECAR 3: the first fuel-cell car to use methanol as a liquid hydrogen storage medium. However, the technology of the on-board methanol conversion process proved too complex. So, Daimler decided to concentrate on the use of hydrogen gas.

1998 – Prototype with electric drive: the Mercedes-Benz A‑Class prototype, with a drive system powered from a ZEBRA high-powered nickel-chloride battery.

2003 – In the A‑Class F‑CELL, the entire fuel-cell system is placed in the sandwich floor structure. In 2004 this became the world’s first fuel-cell car to be supplied to customers.

2005 – Unveiling of the F 600 HYGENIUS at the Tokyo Motor Show: the new fuel-cell stack structure was 40 percent smaller than in the A‑Class F‑CELL, delivering 30 percent more power.

2006 – Daimler now had a fleet of more than 100 fuel-cell vehicles in use by customers worldwide, from the A‑Class to the Citaro-Bus. These vehicles have now clocked up more than 4.5 million kilometres of emission-free driving.

2007 – Start of a large-scale test in London involving 100 first-generation smart fortwo electric drive cars: the electric-drive two-seater with a sodium-nickel-chloride ZEBRA high-power battery impressed with its environmental qualities and everyday functionality, and was also a pleasure to drive and extremely easy to operate.

2008 – Launch of the first “e-mobility” initiative in September, in the presence of German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel. The aim of this pioneering joint project for environmentally responsible urban electric mobility was to demonstrate the efficient use of state-of-the-art electric cars in conjunction with a customer-friendly charging infrastructure.

2009 – In November 2009, Daimler started production of two electric cars. Series production of the smart fortwo electric drive kicked off with a run of 1000 units, with the first customers taking delivery at the beginning of “e-mobility Berlin” on 17 December. The smart fortwo electric drive was subsequently supplied to customers in Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Switzerland, and also Canada and the USA.

Source: Daimler AG

However, what exactly happens inside a fuel cell and what does this mean for automobile drive? Presenter Patrice Bouédibela gets to the bottom of this and more in the DRIVE Lab.

Source: Mercedes-Benz.tv

Source: Mercedes-Benz.tv

“Automated driving” supports the development, testing and validation of assistance systems and other vehicle safety features. Testing at the limit can now be carried out without danger and health risks to development engineers, delivering clear benefits to Mercedes-Benz customers – because the tests are carried out with the highest degree of precision, future assistance systems can be developed and validated to Mercedes-Benz’s exacting quality standards despite increasing levels of complexity.

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For years, Mercedes-Benz has been setting benchmarks in the development of new technologies for the continuous improvement of active and passive safety in automobiles. Innovations in passive safety such as the rigid-form passenger cell, crumple zone, airbag and three-point safety belt, plus active safety like ABS, ESP® and brake assist all trace back to Mercedes-Benz. They have made a substantial contribution to improving traffic safety and to reducing significantly the number of injuries and deaths among road users.

The current status of active safety technology is defined by intelligent assistance systems that turn the vehicle into a “thinking partner” – one that can see and feel, and that can react in the event of danger. Systems like the blind spot assistant, ATTENTION ASSIST and the night view assistant are focused specifically on accident problem areas such as lane changes, fatigue or poor visibility at night.

“With future driver assistance systems, we will be able to address even more complex traffic situations and therefore to ease the dangers of further accident hot spots – like intersections,” says Prof. Bharat Balasubramanian, Head of Product Innovations & Process Technologies at Corporate Research and Advanced Engineering Daimler AG. “Our new automated driving test methods help us to fulfil the extremely high quality and operational safety demands placed on our safety systems more efficiently.”

Autopilots ensure greater precision and relieve development engineers
In addition to established methods, Mercedes-Benz will fulfil requirements for reliable functionality and operational safety in future assistance systems through the “automated driving” of test manoeuvres on dedicated proving grounds. Prototypes used for this purpose are usually series production vehicles equipped with “robots” for steering, acceleration and braking. An on-board computer controls the autopilot so that a pre-programmed course is followed exactly – even if several vehicles are involved in one manoeuvre.
Test engineers in the control centre monitor all events and can stop the vehicles at any time. In para
llel, the vehicles perform self checks and brake automatically if they register deviations. Thus, the test configuration is safe, yet flexible. All Mercedes-Benz models can be equipped with the technical equipment for “automated driving”. Moreover, a large variety of different safety systems and equipment can be tested.
Using “automated driving”, engineers analyse safety innovations under real-life conditions in the vehicle, addressing two critical challenges:

- Reproducibility. In order to calibrate the systems under test exactly, extensive variations and repetitions of tests are needed. In so doing, all parameters such as vehicle distances, speeds and steering angles have to meet specifications and always need to be maintained precisely in order to guarantee comparability.

- Safety. Because the systems are intended to kick in only in critical situations, such scenarios must be induced during testing. The manoeuvres demand precision timing and should not create a real danger for anybody.

Both requirements are usually beyond human abilities – humans cannot react quickly enough and cannot repeat manoeuvres with the desired accuracy. However, for complex in-vehicle electronic systems and for assistance systems in particular, such driving tests are indispensible as their functional validation must be carried out in a manner that is comprehensive and as close to reality as possible.

The repeat accuracy of the test methodology enables test vehicles to maintain a pre-determined speed and course exactly and to brake very precisely. For example, if a vehicle drives a pre-planned course several times, the tracks of all the runs vary from one another by less than two centimetres. Should the vehicle be brought to a complete halt at a particular location, the end points of all braking manoeuvres are within a radius of three centimetres.

Alongside the proving of assistance systems, “automated driving” will also be used for so-called “extreme tests” in future. These put the vehicle under loads that are well in excess of those reached under normal use in traffic. The intention is to ensure, for instance, that airbags are not activated unintentionally should the car be driven heavily over a ramp or against a kerb. Test drives that involve a high degree of physical stress for the driver can thus be avoided.

State-of-the-art test methods for the highest safety demands
In their development work, Mercedes-Benz engineers use the results from the company’s in-house accident research, which delivers important findings. Several combined validation methods guarantee that all systems function reliably at any critical moment. Company philosophy insists on validation to go considerably farther than required by regulatory standards. When it comes to passive safety, Mercedes-Benz internal crash test requirements go well beyond meeting public crash test standards.

The combination of computer simulations and real-life crash tests ensures passive safety to Mercedes-Benz standards. Mercedes-Benz also makes use of state-of-the-art, networked test methods when it comes to active safety. Drive simulator tests combined with simulation procedures deliver a faster and more reliable development process and complement test drives under real-life conditions. “In Sindelfingen, we are currently building a new driving simulator. The state-of-the-art technology of this equipment will make the future development of new safety systems even faster and more precise,” confirms Balasubramanian.

Automated driving as the basis of future innovations
Mercedes-Benz is the only vehicle maker in the world to use “automated driving” as an additional element in the testing process. It will be used on dedicated proving grounds in tests that would be virtually impossible to reproduce manually, like merging at different speeds and vehicle distances; high-risk tests where, for example, a vehicle brakes heavily in front of another that swerves at the last minute; and safety-critical tests where, at an intersection, one vehicle crosses just in front of or behind the path of a second vehicle.

With “automated driving”, Mercedes-Benz has developed a new, unique testing method for safety systems. It is yet further proof of the innovative power of Mercedes-Benz. The new test method guarantees the fast and efficient development of assistance systems to the highest levels of quality and reliability and also offers maximum safety at work for employees.

Bharat Balasubramanian sums up: “In order to continue to set trends in the field of safety in future, our test procedures must be able to keep pace with the wealth of ideas generated by our engineers. With automated driving, we feel we are well equipped for the development of the next generation of assistance systems.

Source: Daimler AG

Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Daimler Board of Management for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development: “Fully in line with our strategy for sustainable mobility, we will present a broad spectrum of drive technologies at the World Expo. As well as electric cars powered by batteries or fuel cells, we will also present our innovative mobility project. The ‘flex mover’ concept also provides a visionary outlook of future possibilities for individual mobility.”

“As a leader in sustainable mobility and due to our long-term commitment to China, we are delighted to have the opportunity to take an active part in the Shanghai Expo,” stated Ulrich Walker, Chairman and CEO of Daimler Northeast Asia.

There will be Daimler exhibitions on various presentation platforms at the Shanghai Expo. In the Urban Planet Pavilion for example, the company will offer visitors the possibility to experience a smart electric drive model in the context of the “Road of Solution” exhibition. The smart electric drive is powered by an electric motor in combination with a lithium-ion battery, and with this technology represents a major step towards sustainable mobility. In addition to the smart electric drive, there will also exhibitions about Mike Horn’s Pangaea Expedition and the car2go project in the Urban Planet Pavilion.

car2go is a mobility concept from Daimler that redefines individual transportation in congested areas. For the first time, customers can rent smart fortwo vehicles everywhere, anytime at attractive “by-the-minute” rates. Vehicles can be located via cell phone, smart phone or internet, and used on the spur of the moment. As an option, bookings can be made prior to the usage. Innovative telematics technology facilitates an easy, convenient rental process. The vehicles do not have to be returned to the point of rental at the end of the rental. Daimler is running this innovative concept in two cities – Ulm, Germany and Austin, Texas in the United States. In Ulm car2go runs since October 2008, in Austin since November 2009. From the beginning car2go was an overwhelming success story in Ulm. The 200 smarts of the first pilot are rented 700 to 1,000 times per day and they are used by meanwhile 18,000 customers which equals to more than 15 percent of the citizens who possess a drivers license in Ulm.

Further information on car2go will be available to visitors to the German Pavilion, where they will also be able to see the Mercedes-Benz BlueZERO concept and a video on the subject of “Vision of mobility in the city – drive train technologies and mobility concepts.” In the German-Chinese House, there will be a presentation of Daimler’s “Road to Emission-free Mobility” strategy.

Smart is partnering with Nestle at the Swiss pavilion, providing 20 smart “swiss taxis” for visitors. Visitors will be able to register for a ride online or can simply stop a “smart Taxi” for a ride in the Expo area. A smart will also be featured in the Swiss pavilion.

Daimler’s involvement also includes sponsoring the SWR 1 radio station’s concert at the Expo on May 1 and the provision of shuttle vehicles for the UN Pavilion and the Shanghai Corporate Pavilion.

Source: Daimler AG

Source: Mercedes-benz.tv