Just a few days ago, Mercedes gave us a big shock when it posted a short video of its design team in a meeting, essentially giving us the low down to expect a new sports car concept when Pebble Beach Concours D’elegance kicks off on August 20, 2017. At the time, they failed to give us any information at all, aside from Gorden Wagener – the Chief Designer – saying that it will be an “icon of the brand” and a “big surprise.” Along with those words were just a couple of sketches on the table ahead of them that depicted a red sports car of sorts and a wheel design. There were also sketches of the IAA concept in the mix as well, pointing to the possibility that the new concept could share some DNA with it, but it was mentioned that the front end was going to be dramatically different. Now, Mercedes has released an official teaser of its upcoming concept and, while it doesn’t give us much information, it is rather intriguing, to say the least.

First off, you can see the wheel that was displayed in the sketch from the first video. It actually looks quite sporty and appears to have some 24 thin spokes, so it’s essentially going to roll on the German version of wire wheels. At the beginning of the video, we see a slanted silhouette view of the car from the beltline up, exposing a long flat roof that gently curves to the rear. Meanwhile, the body line just below the belt line is long and slightly curved, which should bring some exquisite elegance to the concept, to say the least. The video then quickly pans to the front end where we get to see an unmistakably long hood with excessively sharp body lines and a Mercedes emblem perched at the tip – clearly something that points to this being one luxurious vehicle and probably outside of the confines of most of our pockets, should it make it into production. The interior actually looks a little bland but features some copper or gold trim and a chrome steering wheel. The instrument cluster consists of just two gauges while tall center console quite literally separates passenger from the driver. So, what is this car really going to be? Keep reading to see the short video and to hear more about it.

Concept IAA Coupe?

At this point, it’s hard to say what this concept is really going to offer. After the last teaser video that gave us a glimpse inside the development center in Sindelfingen, Germany, I speculated that because of the IAA Concept sketches on the table that this concept could be a reinterpretation of that concept. That Concept IAA was a four-door sedan, but this concept is slated to be an according-to-Hoyle sports car, so it could essentially be a two-door coupe version of the IAA. It was said that the front end would be different, so it could end up looking quite a bit more sporty too, and based on the video above, you can probably come to the same conclusion that this concept will have a much longer hood.

The silhouette we saw was quite similar to the IAA, and the wheels are clearly much more attractive as well. From what we can see of the interior, it does look like the interior is toned down a bit, and features a serious lack of screens in comparison to the IAA. This could mean that, if Mercedes plays its cards right, this could end up being a production model. Since there isn’t a ton of futuristic, space-age stuff going on inside, it wouldn’t be that hard to rework the interior so that it’s production ready.

Mercedes also has this huge plan to roll out 10 electric cars by 2022 and has even gone so far as to spend $11 Billion to invest in EV development – enough to move its EV plans up from 2025. Could this next “Vision” concept preview an all-electric sports car for the new decade? It’s quite possible, considering the huge EV push that’s been going on lately, and it would make Mercedes one of the first companies to put out a true EV sports car for the masses.

Sure, based on the interior it won’t be in the “affordable” category, but what Mercedes model really is, right? No; this thing will be luxurious and fast, and catered to the wealthy with deep pockets and an impeccable taste for elegance. That in itself would make a production model a big hit as far as sales go, assuming Mercedes can come up with a way to provide top-end performance and an acceptable range. We can’t have a Mercedes-branded, all-electric sports car with less than 200 miles of range. That just won’t work. People will buy these things to drive them, so it will need fast charging times, a big battery for long-range driving, and it has to be lightweight enough to allow for some seriously quick sprint times and a high top speed.

EV…Long Hood…Could This Be a Near-Production Version of the Maybach Vision 6?

Mercedes EV plans are…uhm… ambitious, to say the least. We saw the Mercedes-Maybach Vision 6 Concept not that long ago. If you were paying attention to that debut, and the video above, you’ll notice some similarities, including that long hood with the insanely dominant crease, and the same general silhouette. The only difference is that this new concept will sport a Mercedes emblem on the hood which could point to it being a Mercedes-branded, near-production ready representation of the Vision 6 Concept. Of course, the possibilities at this point are endless, and this new concept could be just about anything, so take that with a grain of salt.

Yet Another Concept?

The idea behind this “Vision” concepts is understandable. Manufacturers want to show the world what they are thinking the future of the brand is going to look like. However, what I don’t understand is why that future can’t be now. These things are usually loaded to the gills with technology, most of which works as it should. Things like multiple and large screens replacing physical buttons, backlit HVAC vents, all of this is all feasible technology that could be put into use now. It might be too expensive at this current time, but when we’re talking about a brand like Mercedes, it’s followers and purists are loyal and those that would go for a car like the Maybach Vision 6 or the Concept IAA won’t give a damn about the extra cost for all of this futuristic technology. Sometimes, I think the problem is that manufacturers are afraid to introduce all this technology at one time as they are afraid they won’t be able to one-up themselves 5 or 6 years down the road.

With that said, It's really annoying to get teased by all of this cool technology and then see it delivered very slowly over a period of years. Meanwhile, the concepts that would have made amazing and attractive production cars have gone cold and tastes have changed. I understand the strategy, but the point is that, at some point, I’d love to see a manufacturer take a risk and push one of these concepts into production as is. Of course, they’ll have to plan ahead and design it with safety standards in mind, but that’s a small price to pay for a car that could generate tons of interest.

So, what’s on your mind? Do you think this will be another interpretation of the IAA or Vision 6? Will this concept represent a production model? Will it be too similar to the Maybach Vision 6? Let us know in the comments section below.

References

Read our full review on the Mercedes-Benz Concept IAA.

Read our full review on the Mercedes-Maybach Vision 6.