Safety is always stressed by Mercedes-Benz, as demonstrated in the F 200 Imagination by the first-ever window airbag, which inflates itself across the side walls and considerably reduces the risk of head injuries in side crashes and rollovers. Since the coupe study does not have a conventional steering wheel, the front airbags are incorporated in a kneepad underneath the dashboard.
Instead of conventional rearview mirrors the experts employ a video system with five permanently installed minicameras. Four of them are discreetly concealed in the roof frame struts on each side of the car and, out on the road, constantly have an eye on the areas next to and behind the F 200 Imagination. The fifth camera is in the rear bumper and automatically switches on when the vehicle backs up. The images appear on various monitors in the vehicle interior where the conventional mirrors otherwise would be located.
In passing, so to speak, the F 200 Imagination also showed what a large, modern coupe might look like — heralding essential design features of the Mercedes-Benz CL which debuted in 1999. The F 200 Imagination has a transparent roof to flood the interior with light. Its special feature: the electro-transparent glass can be darkened at the push of a button to avoid excessive heating of the interior due to strong insulation. The glass has an intermediate layer, a liquid crystal film made of electrically conductive plastic. Electric current causes its crystals to array themselves so that the glass is transparent. In the meantime, this roof can be purchased in a car built by DaimlerChrysler: the Maybach 62.
In the sum of its characteristics, the F 200 Imagination is a pioneering research vehicle, particularly its electronics, which enable new concepts and will play a bigger role in future cars. Of course, they must be subjected to intensive testing before they go into production. The F 200 Imagination played an important part in this and was forerunner of a Mercedes-Benz SL of the R 129 series that was equipped with electronic steering and sidesticks for test purposes in 1998 and thoroughly road-tested.
Some of the findings: steering, braking and accelerating using a sidestick do require one to learn to think differently, but open up new dimensions in respect of driving dynamics, ride comfort and handling safety. The steering ratio and steering forces can be made variable and adapted to the particular situation — differently for parking than for negotiating a fast curve. To brake, the foot no longer has to be moved from the gas pedal to the brake pedal, so that the driver can respond more quickly.
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