MB F 500 Mind - Multivision on Four Wheels

Press Release

The F 500 is designed to be a rolling laboratory in which engineers can measure and visualize many features.

F 500 Mind - Multivision on Four Wheels

Related content:
The MB F 500 Mind Research Vehicle Highlights
MB F500 Mind Photo Album - 12 Photos added

The new research vehicle is setting the pace for tomorrow's automotive technology

F 500 Mind, DaimlerChrysler's new research vehicle, is packed with innovations. "Mind" stands for intelligence and expresses the wide variety of innovations involved. These include everything from the "multivision" display in the cockpit to an active night-vision system, the central pillar and a variable rear door. It's a nice place to work: air-conditioning, comfortable seats with variable armrests, a computer system with a multifunctional display, a good all-around view… But what sounds like an executive office on the top floor is, in reality, the F 500 Mind � the new research vehicle from DaimlerChrysler. Giving innovations a form that is pace-setting and appealing in equal measure was an exciting challenge for the designers who worked on the F 500 Mind project. "After all, our goal was to come up with a harmonious composition," says Peter Pfeiffer, Chief Designer at Mercedes-Benz. "More specifically, we wanted to create a triad consisting of eye-catching design, a new research vehicle and a unique technology."
Group seating: How should the interior be designed to ensure that all occupants feel comfortable? The F 500 team searched for answers using a full-sized model. In the end, designers from three continents tackled the challenge, with Mercedes studios in Germany, Japan and the United States all producing suggestions for the exterior. Imagination and creativity were given free rein as the designers set about emulating their research colleagues who had developed something totally new with the variable door opening, the central pillar and the "multivision" cockpit. Not only were the designers asked to test stylistic and technical aspects to their limits; they also had to adapt the form to the technical concept. The result was a lively, multinational competition of ideas. Following this emotional phase, it was decided that the Japanese design studio's concept best underlined the F 500 Mind's role as a mobile research laboratory. However, the interior, color and choice of materials all have their origins in a Mercedes design studio located in the northern Italian city of Como. The F 500 Mind is obviously a member of the luxury class. Its coupe-like appearance and dimensions, which are comparable to those of a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, leave no doubt about that. But when you take a closer look at the research car, you quickly see that, despite its elegant appearance, it is not only a luxury car but also a rolling laboratory packed with practical and customer-oriented innovations. "The F 500 Mind is characterized by three features: its environmentally friendly hybrid drive system, its comfortable interior concept and a new type of door system," says Günter Hölzel, Head of Overall Vehicles at the DaimlerChrysler research directorate RBP (Research Body and Powertrain). But there is an array of other innovations in the F 500 as well. These include an active night-vision system, pedals with pressure sensors, the "cone of sound" and the "multivision" display with holographic projection.
Seating test: Long before the new vehicle takes shape, design engineers and designers determine which functions and forms the individual components � the driver's seat is shown here � should eventually have.

Future customer wishes in mind

But the F 500 Mind, which was presented at the Tokyo Motor Show this past October, is more than a pleasant work site on wheels that scientists and engineers can use to test and optimize new drive and operator concepts. By producing research vehicles, DaimlerChrysler is not only putting new technology on the road but also getting a feel for customer wishes in the future. Because design and emotions come into play just as technology and performance do, the research vehicles are also design studies that speak tomorrow's language of form. With the F 500 Mind, the international automobile Group is presenting a new image for a Mercedes-Benz vehicle. In visual terms, it is something between a station wagon and a coupe. In fact, its designers like to call it a "four-door crossover concept." The short, compact hood, the windshield that has been moved forward, the roof that has been raised slightly and the striking rear end form a silhouette that is (still) unusual. The overall impression is flowing and represents a departure from a sedan's traditional appearance, without reminding one of the typical "one-box form" of a minivan.