The Mercedes-Benz Vision Iconic is the Mercedes design we missed

Recently, it’s been a bit hard to be a Mercedes-Benz fan, especially with the company having made several questionable business decisions (like backtracking on its EQ electric vehicles), and its most recent change to its new design language that made its debut on both the CLA and GLC EV.

With a large, big, honking chrome grille and the Mercedes tri-star being integrated into various aspects of the car, one could say that the car’s latest design language screams for attention instead of being that understated luxury vehicle with lots of presence, something older Mercs did particularly well.

Now, the newest concept from Mercedes-Benz is the Vision Iconic, and, well, this is what a proper Mercedes-Benz should look like. A long, menacing hoodline, sleek, raked back, something with lots of presence without having to announce itself.

This concept is inspired by older Benzes, especially the older SLs, the swooping lines of the older cars from the 30s and 40s, and the large grille looks just as stately as it did on the likes of the W108s and 600 Pullamns of yore.

The interior is very Art Deco-inspired with lots of hints of retrofuturism. It’s a floating glass dashboard structure called the “Zeppelin”, with a large four-spoke steering wheel and an instrument cluster inspired by high-end chronographs.

There’s a pillar-to-pillar screen concept, complete with an AI companion that melds seamlessly with deep blue velvet, polished brass door handles, and straw marquetry, a decorative technique that dates back to the 17th century and was revived in the roaring ‘20s (1920s).

This being a concept car means that it has absolutely no specifications or powertrains, but Mercedes-Benz says that it utilizes solar paint, allowing the vehicle to regenerate electricity more efficiently compared to having roof-mounted solar cells.

This also comes with neuromorphic computing, a method that allows the computer to function like the human brain and to allow for significantly more energy-efficient AI calculations and faster ones, which also gives the car the ability to have a Level 4 automated driving system, allowing the car to “give customers back time” by having it do nearly almost everything, including parking.

Of course, should the driver want to take advantage of driving the car itself, this will come with a new steer-by-wire system, meaning that this long boat of a car will be incredibly easy to drive, all while without having mechanical connections to both the front and rear wheels. But the main takeaway from this concept is that Mercedes design is back, and it bodes well, especially for its flagship vehicles such as the future S-Class.

^{Photos from Mercedes-Benz}