Mercedes goes high-tech
- MPV concept packed with gadgets
- Fuel cell gives range of 250 miles
- Toys include chilled cupholders
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Don’t worry: this Tokyo show concept car isn’t the new look for future Mercedes MPVs.
Instead the F600 HyGenius is a showcase for a range of new technologies that Mercedes is developing – from hybrid battery and fuel-cell powerplants to cupholders that keep your drink cold.
The 81bhp hydrogen fuel cell is backed up by a battery-powered electric motor to provide as much as 114bhp for the F600. Mercedes reckons the car has an effective range of nearly 250 miles – an impressive distance for a fuel cell.
Clever cupholders draw power from the battery to keep drinks hot or cold.
The F600, which is a shade longer than a B-Class, has enough space to make a luxury car blush, Mercedes says. The front and rear passenger seats all slide fore and aft and can be used facing either way.
Video cameras that monitor blind spots and also disable the doors so that they can’t be opened into the path of a cyclist or another vehicle are fitted.
Like in the new S-Class, the F600 features Merc’s Comand system with its rotary dial to control various in-car functions, but this one can detect which front-seat passenger is using it and tailor settings and menus accordingly.
The concept car has a head-up display, but instead of simply showing basic information on the windscreen, it uses a pair of mirrors to project info from the high-resolution, full-colour display screens 1.4 metres ahead of the driver so that they don’t have to take their eyes off the road.
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