Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart Concept Brings Luxury To The Course
Earlier in 2013, Mercedes-Benz initiated a contest of sorts, inviting individuals to submit ideas for a "golf cart of the future." Those ideas would then be used to help form a concept vehicle, which Mercedes-Benz is saying is more of a "Golf Car" than a cart. That concept has now been revealed, dubbed the Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart.
The concept luxury golf cart was shown off during the Open Championship, to which the winners chosen among the submissions it received were invited to attend as VIP guests. The entries were judged by a jury, of which the auto maker's design vice president was at the helm. The submissions were then built upon, and the resulting concept was formed.
The Vision Golf Cart was developed in the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Center located in California, with the aim being to create a concept involving both "aspects" of the maker's cars and the functionality inherent in a golf cart. The result is a sleek, distinctly Mercedes-Benz golf cart harboring a variety of trimmings you won't find on standard course offerings.
Not surprisingly, the concept is all-electric, and is powered via solar panels built into the roof, as well as a manual charging option when needed. Rather than a steering wheel, the Vision Golf Cart is controlled using a joystick mounted in the center console, which allows for either of the passengers to operate it. Buttons are almost entirely done away with by using touchscreen panels, and there's a multimedia system that includes USB and Apple device docks.
Daimler's Vice President of Design Gorden Wagener said: "The Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart has a refined, simplified yet functional shape that fits well into our 'Sensual-Purity' design philosophy. The flow shapes create a 'sculpture on wheels' impression. I was very inspired by the idea of designing a golf cart, giving it a new shape and new sorts of meaning. Why not treating[sic] a golf cart like a car, and making it a 'Golf Car'."
SOURCE: Daimler