Mercedes F 125!

• Previews 2025 S-Class
• Features hydrogen fuel-cell and plug-in hybrid technology
• New driver assistance systems

To celebrate its 125th Birthday, Mercedes has just unveiled a new zero emissions luxury concept called the F 125!. The five-metre long behemoth hints at what future S-class models will look like as well as some of the technology they might feature.

However, while previous Mercedes concepts have offered a preview of the following generation of the companies' road-going models, the F 125! goes a step further and looks two generations into the future, to the year 2025 and beyond.

The concept features huge gullwing doors which give access to the front and rear seats, and the car is built mostly from lightweight materials including aluminium, carbon fibre and fibre-reinforced plastics.

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Mercedes says it wants to prove large, luxury cars still have a bright future and as a result has engineered the F 125! to produce no tailpipe emissions by using a combination of plug-in hybrid technology and a hydrogen fuel cell. The concept has a maximum range of 620 miles.

Fuel consumption is just 0.79 kilos of hydrogen per 100 kilometres. That's the equivalent of roughly 104mpg.

Despite this, the F 125! can hit 62mph in just 4.9 seconds and has a top speed of 220mph, thanks to its powerful 308bhp electric motor.

The F 125! also previews new driver assistance system that Mercedes is working on. Advanced Driving Assist can make lane changes, even on one-way roads, and is also capable of automatic overtaking manoeuvres by communicating with other vehicles using a radio-based system called Car-to-X communication.

A new '@yourCOMAND infotainment system is controlled using a combination of speech and hand gestures for safety and convenience. The driver can request news and weather reports, for example, without even removing his hands from the wheel.