Evolution of F-series displays carmaker's proud history of innovation

The F 015 Luxury in Motion concept car, an autonomous driving vehicle shown at the International CES Asia in Shanghai, represents the automaker's vision of future mobility. [Photo/China Daily]

Mercedes-Benz's concept vehicles, such as the F 015 Luxury in Motion showcased at the International CES Asia in Shanghai, unite innovative technologies to enable the public to experience the future of mobility.

The auto giant's technologies revolve around its strategies to create the car of the future and incorporate leading concepts within the modern automobile industry.

The essence behind forschungsfahrzeug, which means "research vehicle" in German, has underscored the Mercedes-Benz's F-series for nearly a quarter of a century.

In 1991, the first F series vehicle, the F 100, subverted the concept of what an automobile should be, gathering together a multitude of ideas and innovative technologies under one hood.

Since its debut, numerous electronic units, such as a distance warning radar, a driver assistance system and enhanced safety measures, have made their way into the automaker's vehicles, showing that the Mercedes-Benz F 100 was not simply a test car for engineers－it represented a new type of automobile.

In 1997, a year after the F 200 Imagination gave car enthusiasts a better grasp of the automobile's future, the F 300 Life Jet displayed how a car could combine the cornering dynamics of a motorcycle within the safety and comfort of a car. Its Active Tilt Control technology computes tilt angles, speed, acceleration, steering angle and yaw of the vehicle to ensure that the tilt always fits any driving situation.

The F 400 Carving was presented in 2001 as a research roadster with dynamic cornering. It featured novel dynamic handling systems and an aluminum space frame with a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic body.

In 2003, the F 500 Mind exhibited new technologies in powertrain, operation and comfort and became the first luxury hybrid vehicle. It also featured a new interior and door concept, and a new electronic driver information system.

Mercedes-Benz exhibited its new fuel-cell technology in the F 600 Hygenius in 2005, pointing the way to climate-friendly mobility. The compact family car consumes the equivalent of a surprisingly low 2.9 liters per 100 kilometers, and has a range of over 400 kilometers on one tank of hydrogen.

With its Diesotto drive technology that combines the strengths of the low-emission gasoline engine with the fuel economy of a diesel engine, the F 700 presented the touring sedan of the future in 2007. The F 700 also took an important step toward advanced suspension technologies.

The F 800 Style in 2009 was a pioneering upper-range sedan with "green" technologies. It combined highly efficient and environmentally compatible drive technologies－a multidrive platform with plug-in hybrid or fuel-cell electric drive systems－with comfort and safety.

Two years later, as the carmaker celebrated its 125th birthday, the world received a visionary look of the future. It introduced the F 125 as a sporty luxury sedan that is emissions-free.

Building on the achievements of its predecessors, the F 015 Luxury in Motion highlights the automaker's visionary ideas for the future of autonomous driving, and in many ways showcases the transformative power of the automobile.

Besides its beautiful contours and spacious designs, the F 015 is a truly intelligent vehicle set to revolutionize how people travel.

With six displays integrated into the instrument panel as well as the rear and side panels, passengers can interact with the vehicle through gestures, eye-tracking technologies or through the use of high-resolution screens.

The vehicle is equipped with exterior LED modules at the front and rear of the vehicle that are linked through an app that can be accessed from one of its interior screens.

The Mercedes-Benz history of research vehicles carries forward a proud history of innovation and the F 015 shows how the auto giant continues to reinvent the automobile.