Mercedes Vision Iconic looks to Mercedes’ past to DEFINE its future

The Mercedes Vision Icon Concept arrives as a look at Mercedes’ future design direction, defined by its history.

Mercedes’ ‘Blobby’ EV design is already biting the dust with the dropping of the ‘EQ’ EV standalone models and the move to EV as a powertrain choice in its normal range of models, with the first move the arrival of the new electric Mercedes GLC.

Now, Mercedes is doing what many legacy car makers are doing to compete in the EV world by looking to its storied past to define its future models, and has revealed a quite extreme look at how the past will influence the future with the new Mercedes Vision Icon Concept.

Looking like an Art Deco take on the Batmobile, the Vision Icon sports a massive bonnet – a very un-EV feature, similar to Jaguar’s controversial Type 00 Concept – influenced by 1930s car design, and a back end echoing the look of the original 300 SL, with a big illuminated grill and glowing Mercedes star.

Inside, the Vision Icon is even more concept-y than the exterior, with what Mercedes is calling a ‘Hyper-Analogue’ vibe, with an absence of screens and a floating glass capsule dubbed ‘Zeppelin’ with fake mother-of-pearl inlay and analogue and digital instruments which come to life when the doors open, and a very old school steering wheel. controlling a steer-by-wire setup.

There’s also plenty of tech which doesn’t really exist yet, with a solar coating said to deliver an additional 7,400 miles of range a year, level 4 automated driving and neuromorphic computing which mimics how the human brain works.

Mercedes’ Markus Schäfer said:

Vision Iconic embodies our vision for the future of mobility. With groundbreaking innovations such as neuromorphic computing, steer-by-wire, solar paint, and Level 4 highly automated driving, along with state-of-the-art technology, we are setting new standards for the electric and digital age. This beautiful vehicle is a testament to our commitment to making the mobility of tomorrow a reality today.