Daimler is in attack mode in China. The company has invested $140 million in a new research and development center there, the heart of which is an advanced design studio that will be taken over next year by Hubert Lee, who currently heads the studio in Carlsbad, California.
With this investment, the company aims to catch up with Audi and BMW, and the Vision G-Code concept car is a symbol of this charge forward. At first glance, the compact hatchback seems unspectacular; its soft shape and subdued lines fit in well with Daimler’s current styling language as defined by the C- and S-classes. At 161.4 inches long, 59.1 inches tall, and 74.8 inches wide, it is sized just like today’s popular compact crossover Standing on 21-inch wheels with carbon-fiber spokes, the G-Code is fitted with an electrically powered roof rack and LED headlights that extend and move like the lens of a compact camera when activated. The daytime running lights mimic the shape of a “G” like on the 2012 Ener-G-Force concept, but inverted.
It may look like it would fit right into today’s traffic, but the G-Code is far more visionary than you might think. T
The front is dominated by a fake “grille” that uses lighting effects to inform bystanders about which mode of propulsion is currently in use. It is supposed to remind us of the starship Enterprise’s “warp drive,” says Daimler. However, Daimler’s concept is powered by a front-mounted hydrogen-fueled internal-combustion engine and a rear electric motor. At standstill, the grille is lighted blue. When driven on electricity only, the blue light moves inward, and in hybrid mode, the color turns purple. In Hybrid Sport mode, the illumination is bright red, and the “stars” move outward.
It’s not a warp drive, and it’s about as realistic. Daimler hastens to assure us that no hydrogen IC engine is close to series production.
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