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Image credits: © Mercedes - Benz.
Press Release
Traditionally the top of the Mercedes-Benz product range is occupied
by the grand coupé. With the Concept S-Class Coupé the company will
provide a concrete vision of the next model generation at the
International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt: with its gorgeous
appearance and self-assured style it embodies the design philosophy of
sensual clarity. In the interior with its spectacular architecture and
truly exclusive appointments the four-seater defines the state of the
art of modern luxury.
"The new S-Class Saloon was received enthusiastically in the market
and perfectly lives up to its role as a representative of the power of
innovation of Mercedes-Benz", says Dr Joachim Schmidt, Member of the
Management Board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Sales & Marketing. "On the
S-Class Coupé as the traditional top of our product range the designers
take advantage of their additional freedom and thus create an automotive
masterpiece".
Gorden Wagener, Vice President Design at Daimler AG, adds: "The
Concept S-Class Coupé combines tradition and emotion, and is a symbol
for the embodiment of our design style of sensual clarity. The perfected
design with self-assured style and the highly exclusive appointments
make the coupé a true design icon and an expression of modern luxury“.
Design: sensual clarity at its most beguiling
Sensual clarity as an expression of modern luxury – this was the
focus for the designers, and is the design philosophy of Mercedes-Benz.
The aim is to create clear contours and smooth surfaces that stage high
tech while exuding emotional appeal. The sensual clarity is reflected in
the core design values of tradition, emotion and progressivism. These
are the guiding star, and are accentuated differently depending on the
model. Mercedes-Benz creates a bridge between modernity and the
avant-garde, between tradition and progressivism. Each model series has
an assigned role and a very specific character, depending on the
attributes on which the design focusses. And yet a Mercedes-Benz is
always recognisable as a Mercedes-Benz. Because in addition to
incorporating new stylistic developments, and in the interests of
keeping tradition alive, the designers draw from a gene-pool of styling
features typical of the brand.
"Design needs the sublime! Because design is the best brand
ambassador. At the centre of our work is sensual clarity as an
expression of modern luxury, because this is precisely what gets to the
heart of our brand philosophy – the bipolarity of intelligence and
emotion", says Wagener.
The exterior: flowing profile of perfect proportions
The flowing profile of the Concept S-Class Coupé embodies sensual
clarity in a modern way. It is characterised by typical rear-wheel drive
proportions, which are emphasised by the Mercedes-typical signature,
the dropping line. The long bonnet with distinctive lines and
powerdomes, the cowering greenhouse with high beltline, the accentuated
wheel arches as well as the 21-inch wheels (tyres at front 265/35 R 21,
at rear 295/35 R 21) and the visually broad rear substantiate the claim
of the Concept S-Class Coupé as a masterpiece of automotive refinement.
With a wheelbase of 2945 mm the coupé measures 5050 mm in length, 1958
mm in width and 1409 mm in height.
Positively arched surfaces give the Concept S-Class Coupé a sensual
character. The sculpted appearance lends it classic elegance that forms a
perfect symbiosis with the modern-progressive design idiom.
The view from the side is marked by the dropping line in keeping with
the emotional character of the vehicle. It underscores the
brand-typical proportions like a signature. The lines are deliberately
reduced to the basics. This creates a timeless clarity.
The creative interaction of various design elements lend the Concept
S-Class Coupé a superior and self-assured front: at the centre of the
vehicle front is the three-dimensional and further evolved diamond
radiator grille, whose structure is defined in this case by rectangular,
dark chrome-plated elements. It bears the central Mercedes star and one
blade.
The full-LED headlamps with their iconic eyebrows as daytime driving
lamps lend it an extremely self-assured and distinctive gaze. On the
Concept S-Class Coupé the eyebrows have been further advanced with a
semicircular counter-swish. The diamond-look of the headlamps and the
tail lamps underline the luxurious appointments of the show car.
The side profile is defined by the dome-shaped stretched roof line
and the frameless doors. An elegant, three-dimensional chrome frame
surrounds the glass areas that are uninterrupted by B-pillars. This
underscores the Mercedes-typical coupé look. In designing the pillared
exterior mirrors the designers took opportunity of the liberties offered
by a concept car and made them especially slim, giving them an elegant
appearance.
A muscle above the rear axle protruding from the side wall generates a
sense of lightness and dynamic spirit even at a standstill. The
positively arched surfaces and lines of the side walls flow into the
rear end with a dramatic tapered effect.
The rear end with its surfaces, broad shoulders and distinctive
character lines rounds out the emotional overall appearance. Moving the
license plate to the lower bumper section allows positioning the
three-pointed star more prominently on the smooth boot lid. This is
complemented by a chrome trim strip modelled with love of detail. It
runs horizontally across the boot lid and continues past the tail lamps,
creating visual width. The arrangement of the LEDs in two horizontal
rows within the two-piece tail lamp represents high tech and at the same
time is reminiscent of the relief-type design on earlier models.
The interior: dynamic flow of lines
Sculpted elegance and simplicity also characterises the interior. The
white instrument panel exudes sensual clarity. Its curved shape is
reminiscent of a whale fluke just before it re-enters the water. Like
the entire interior it is dominated by flowing lines: the upper and
lower wave create a clear structure.
The architecture of the instrument panel is spectacular: Thanks to a new
airbag packaging the designers were able to give the lower part of the
instrument panel an extremely sculpted shape. The upper section of the
instrument panel seems to float sensually in front of the dashboard as a
so-called top layer. The instrument panel seamlessly transitions into
the doors in a wrap-around design. The wavelike motion continues in the
door panels.
The ventilation nozzles, which among other places are housed as a
four-piece cluster in the centre of the instrument panel, have a
futuristic and highly detailed design: fins that route the air stream
surround an oblong hole. The ventilation nozzles are designed to add
contrasts and are made of a mix of white aluminium with a ceramics-like
appearance and brushed and polished aluminium.
The aluminium control elements have a functional and clean design,
and provide an exciting contrast to the organic and avant-garde shapes
that surround them.
On top of the free-form surface under a reduced hood are the 30.7-cm
(12.3-inch) screens familiar from the new S-Class. They have an aspect
ratio of 8:3. In the Concept S-Class Coupé the fully glazed colour
displays are even slimmer and seem to float even more freely. As
high-tech elements they offer an exciting contrast to the sensual
landscape of the instrument panel. The colour scheme of the displays is
bluish and consequently sporty and modern.
A touch screen showing four world clocks is located on the centre
console. The driver can choose which clocks to display: To do so, the
driver first scrolls on a globe in the display and selects a time zone
before a drop-down menu offers the corresponding city selections. The
world clock concept was designed and implemented by designers and
engineers at the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Center in Palo Alto,
California, USA.
The central command unit on the centre console looks like a shiny
jewel. Its extremely high-quality "black diamond" surface creates depth
of field. The "black diamond" method uses the chemical CVD (chemical
vapour deposition) gas phase process to deposit a precious metal on a
high-sheen chrome surface at temperatures of 1000°C. The metal reacts
with the surface to form a layer that is highly scratch-resistant and
has a high adhesive strength.
The door panels of the Concept S-Class Coupé are made from aluminium.
Using computer algorithms delicate topographic lines were milled into
the metal and mimic the contours of the door-mounted control elements.
This creates an interesting light pattern with tiny sparkling
highlights. For this creation the designers drew their inspiration from
rock formations in Utah, USA. The progressive perforations of the
loudspeakers were also generated using algorithms and display some
intelligent aesthetics of mathematics.
Like the entire interior the seats have a highly dynamic and natural
"flow of lines" and continue the sculpted design of the shapes. The
front seats evoke associations of haute-couture tailoring because their
sculpted shape embodies sensual lines reminiscent of figurines in
fashion design. In the upper section of the seat the side bolsters
envelope the occupant like a collar. The vertical lines of the seats
come courtesy of an array of delicate piping. Piping on the side
bolsters provides contrast and like the perforation of the seat surfaces
is a factor in the sporty-elegant impression.
The choice of colours and materials plays with the extroverted
contrasts of anthracite and white as well as aluminium, and bolsters
both the timeless modernity and avant-garde nature of the design and the
claim of the Concept S-Class Coupé to ultimate exclusivity, high
quality and perfection. In this spirit the instrument panel and seats
are made from supple calfskin. The roofliner of the vehicle is made from
hand-woven silk and consequently underscores the exclusive character of
the interior.
The technology: intelligent assistance systems and a seeing suspension
The Concept S-Class Coupé is powered by a V8 Biturbo engine. This
engine produces 335 kW (455 hp) from a displacement of 4663 cc. The peak
torque is 700 Nm.
The Concept S-Class Coupé is equipped with the "Intelligent Drive"
technology from Mercedes-Benz. Thanks to two "camera eyes" the stereo
camera can get a three-dimensional view of the area up to about 50
metres in front of the vehicle, and as "6DVision" can detect the
position and movement of objects. It monitors the surroundings ahead of
the vehicle over a range of up to 500 metres. These data are combined
with the data from the radar and ultrasound sensors. A multitude of
assistance systems monitors the surrounding traffic for the driver. This
helps to reduce the burden on the driver and other road users are also
protected.
The suspension makes use of the new stereo camera as well: like the new
S-Class, the Concept S-Class Coupé can detect surface undulations in
advance. If ROAD SURFACE SCAN detects such undulations with the help of
the stereo camera, MAGIC BODY CONTROL adjusts the suspension in advance
to suit the situation. Using the camera images and vehicle status
information, the control unit continuously calculates the best control
strategy to cope with uneven stretches such as long undulations.
The infotainment system also meets the highest standards: the
MoodGrid software from music recognition service Gracenote makes it
possible to listen to whatever music fits the mood. Finding suitable
songs no longer requires the driver and passengers of the Concept
S-Class Coupé to awkwardly search through their collections of digital
music. Based on a selected mood the software compiles a pre-selection of
songs. This compilation not only includes familiar songs, but music
from a catalogue containing 18 million tracks – adapted to the
individual taste and the respective mood. The navigation system based on
the Garmin NaviCore also offers more convenient orientation with a
modern design and a 3D view.
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