New Mercedes Vision Iconic looks to the future… by looking at the past

This is the Mercedes Vision Iconic – a concept car apparently inspired by “the brand’s rich heritage” but “designed for its future”. Featuring a similarly bold, illuminated grille to the one found on the new all-electric GLC, it attempts to blend styling cues from Merc’s latest cars with models from its past.

Combining old and new is a challenge Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius and his team have been battling for some time. In a recent interview, he asked Auto Express: “How do you keep your identity – this unmistakable Mercedes-ness – into the next generation?”

With the Vision Iconic, Mercedes chief design officer, Gorden Wagener, has created a long bonnet reminiscent of the firm’s Art Deco-inspired models of the 1930s, while to the rear he’s incorporated elements of the 1954 Mercedes 300 SL. The result, Wagener says, “embodies the pure essence of Mercedes” and is the “ultimate expression of value, prestige, and grace”.

Previously, Källenius told us: “Sometimes the designers go over the top and do things you didn’t ask for. But that is Mercedes.”

Building on the GLC’s light-up grille, Mercedes has taken the theme one step further for the Vision Iconic show car by even illuminating the brand’s three-pointed star, which stands proud at the end of that elongated front end. To the side sit a pair of slim headlights, with the same three-part motif found on the firm’s latest production models. 

The Vision Iconic is a flashy one-off concept car, but there are deals to be had on new and used Mercedes models via Auto Express, including a new Mercedes A-Class for just over £30,000 and a new Mercedes GLC for just over £50,000.

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Mercedes claims the gloss-black paint “emphasises the sculptural exterior design of the show car”, while also pioneering innovative solar modules applied to the bodywork as a “wafer-thin paste”. The company’s research shows that an area of 11 square metres – equivalent to the surface of a mid-size SUV – could, in theory, harness up to 12,000km (7,456 miles) of energy each year under “ideal conditions”. The coating doesn’t contain any rare-earth metals or silicone and is apparently easy to recycle.

Inside, the Vision Iconic presents what Mercedes calls an “entirely new experience of hyper-analogue and digital luxury”. The centrepiece is the glass dashboard, which comes to life as the door opens, featuring an “entirely analogue animation” allegedly inspired by high-end chronographs. In the centre is a clock shaped like the brand logo, hiding a so-called AI companion. The large, four-spoke steering wheel harks back to classic Mercedes models.

Premium materials such as the polished brass door handles are complemented by mother-of-pearl and silver-gold tones. Up front there’s a “spacious, sumptuously upholstered” bench seat covered in deep-blue velvet. While not obvious from these pictures, there is also space in the rear.

There’s no detail on what powers the concept car, but Mercedes does say it is researching what it would take to “prepare a car like Vision Iconic with a Level 4 highly automated driving system”. As it stands, the car features “enhanced Level 2 point-to-point urban capabilities”, which it claims can “handle complex urban traffic scenarios”, including automatic steering and acceleration input. It apparently “helps the driver navigate busy streets in the world’s biggest cities”.

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