IAA, The Car Of Tomorrow According To Mercedes-Benz
FRANKFURT, Germany – In front of the crowd at the Mercedes stand, Dr. Dieter Zetsche unveiled what the luxury brand’s representatives call the car of tomorrow. This concept car, dubbed Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile or IAA, is an example of the digitalization that the automotive industry is heading into.
The car is able to communicate with the outside world and other vehicles, thanks to its car-to-x system. The dashboard is completely digital and displays a graphic presentation that only Hollywood could have conjured up until now. Dr. Zetsche also invited the media to get a closer look of this instrument panel, as many of its design elements will soon appear in a new Mercedes-Benz sedan.
Digitalization allowed the company to develop this concept car more quickly than usual. They even created two versions of the car in parallel; the first one emphasizes its appearance while the second one emphasizes its aerodynamics. Afterwards, these two elements were combined into one car, the IAA, making it both elegant and sleek.
At speeds exceeding 80 km/h, the car automatically goes into aerodynamic mode. Flaps in the front bumper extend outwards and towards the rear, the outside mirrors are replaced by cameras, the active wheel rims change their cupping and the rear section stretches by 39 cm. As a result, the car’s drag coefficient drops from 0.25 to 0.19, a world record for a four-door coupé.
According to Zetsche, in 2015 the automobile is technologically at the same point as cell phones were at their beginnings, and we’re about to witness a new and extraordinary era of development. The IAA is the car that determines the targets the company wants to reach.
The boss of Mercedes-Benz also mentioned that Daimler supported the integration of migrants in Germany and is donating a million euros to an aid project initiated by Bild magazine. In addition, the automaker set up a fundraising campaign among Mercedes-Benz employees and is supporting the Baden-Württemberg communities in their initiative to find shelter for the migrants.