BH CORRESPONDENT, Kolkata: Here’s an interesting throwback in the history of automobiles.Mercedes Simplex was a car that was made from 1902 to 1909 by the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG, Daimler Motor Society, a predecessor of Daimler-Benz and Daimler-Chrysler). It used the Mercedes name as the brand of DMG, rather than Daimler. The Simplex was designed by Wilhelm Maybach in Stuttgart, Germany. It featured powerful engines whose power ranged from 40 to 60 hp and its name was derived from the word simple, wherein the creators wanted to bring in simple elements in automotive builds.
And the idea proved to be revolutionary for the Germans, very much like Henry’s Ford’s famous mass production technology applications for the Model T. The Mercedes 35 PS build under this adage and pioneered by Emil Jellinek (his daughter’s name was Mercedes), would go on to change how people saw cars back then.
Now, moving forward into the digital age, Mercedes-Benz thinks it is possible to combine tradition with technology and came up with a creative idea few months ago. Called Vision Mercedes Simplex, it’s a concept that looks forward to the future of Mercedes design by looking back 118 years to the first example of modern internal combustion engine-based motoring.
The German automotive brand says Vision Mercedes Simplex “symbolizes the transition to a new era of design and technology”. It was conceived as a pure electric vehicle with four e-motors motors inside the large fixed hubs. A rose gold radiator with a digital 3D display in front show off a digitally superimposed “Mercedes” lettering, complete with vehicle status animations. Since the electric two-seater doesn’t need a radiator, designers turned the centre mass into a 3D display board for animations.
Details around the concept include leather hood fasteners, a leather overnight bag hanging out back between the decentralised wheels, and filament taillights stretching across the back of the bench seat frame. The design of the steering column and the switches on the instrument panel were inspired both by motorcycles and by nautical design elements. The 2-seater bench seat has been inspired by period correct contemporary furniture and gets the handcrafted Chesterfield quilting.
The concept was created by Mercedes-Benz International Design Center Europe near Nice and presented at Design Essentials, Nice last year.
The driving display is meant to only display the information needed at a certain point in time or specific driving situation, allowing the driver to take in relevant information and yet still concentrate fully on the road at all times.
