Dynamic Styling

Featuring high technology under the hood and in the underbody, as well as functional yet elegant body styling, all three BlueZERO variants come with pioneering drive technology in a uniform and attractive package. “It was essential to us for the Mercedes-Benz leitmotif of ‘fascination and responsibility’ to also be visibly reflected in the Concept BlueZERO’s design,” says Mercedes-Benz Chief Designer Gorden Wagener. “In this way, we are once again making it clear that our vehicles will continue to combine environmental awareness and driving pleasure.”

 

Vergrößern   One glance is all it takes to see that the cutting-edge nature of the Concept BlueZERO is emphasized by the body’s quintessentially Mercedes-Benz design idiom. The vehicle’s powerful front is dominated by the Mercedes star in the center of the radiator grille and by white headlights featuring ultramodern LED technology. The closed front aprons contribute to the BlueZERO’s great aerodynamics. Due to the nature of the vehicle concept, the automobile does not require any air intakes.

Form and function augment each other on the exterior in other ways as well: The 20-inch wheels have also been aerodynamically optimized, and the tires have reduced rolling resistance. The striking design of the vehicle’s flanks provides the concept vehicle with dynamic lateral lines that emphasize the automobile’s nature-inspired shape. This style-defining characteristic of the Mercedes-Benz bionic car that debuted in 2005 was adapted and enhanced for the BlueZERO models. The bionic features impart the vehicle body with a sense of elegant tension and give an indication of the powerful electric drive system’s potential.

Vergrößern A closer look at the vehicle reveals technology that would normally remain hidden. The transparent, light gray-tinted rear hatch, for example, is made entirely of Lexan, a lightweight yet strong polycarbonate plastic. The translucent rear hatch provides a glimpse of the reinforcing frame’s aluminum structure. At the same time, it also provides a glimpse into the vehicle’s interior, which shows that the sandwich floor platform doesn’t compromise the size of the trunk and passenger compartment, because it isn’t necessary to install technological components in these areas.

Vergrößern   All the BlueZERO variants also feature a lightweight, transparent panorama roof with integrated solar panels. The panels’ thin-film solar cells let 20 percent of the light pass through into the vehicle interior. On suitably sunny days, the solar cells generate enough electricity to recharge a mobile phone or a portable MP3 player. Characteristic of the concept vehicle is not only its styling, but also its color. The Mercedes-Benz designers chose three new shades: The BlueZERO E-CELL is painted a fresh ALU-BEAM yellow; the BlueZERO F-CELL appears in ALU-BEAM green; and the BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS is painted a striking ALU-BEAM orange.