Car manufacturers are always coming up with the newest and most technologically advanced vehicle, often competing on what the future of cars will be. In the Los Angeles Design Challenge, held for the fourth time in the 2007 L.A. Auto Show, Mercedes Benz presented another impressive automotive vision. According to reports, this vehicle can “take on the form of a fast highway cruiser, quickly metamorphose into a compact city car, or become a roomy one-seater or economical two-seater.”

It is the SilverFlow’s magnetic control elements which makes this happen. SilverFlow is a futuristic study by Mercedes-Benz that requires only seconds to configure the car.

The Mercedes-Benz SilverFlow is one of the participants of the Los Angeles
Design Challenge to create the “Robocar 2057″, which says to combine vehicle technology and artificial intelligence. A total of eight car design studios were present. It took the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Center of North America in Irvine, California, headed by Gorden Wagener to envision 50 years into the future before getting the idea for the silver and gold Vision SilverFlow car.

Reminiscent of racing cars of the 1930s, the SilverFlow is composed of billions of microscopically tiny metallic particles, formed into variable but stable configurations by magnetic fields. This will make it easier for the driver to adapt the vehicle in various forms. Its “one-seater highway configuration is aerodynamic, while the city version is short and spacious.”

With just a press of a button, the car can easily change forms. Parking is no longer a worry for motorists, for the intelligent control system will disassemble the vehicle’s structure as the ferro-magnetic particles are turned into a small, space-saving configuration. Motorists also don’t have to worry about dents and paint damages thanks to the flexible metallic particles.

Although the Mercedes-Benz SilverFlow remains in the drawing board, it proves that the future is the way to go for car manufacturers. Peter Pfeiffer, Senior Vice President Mercedes-Benz Design: “The Los Angeles Design Challenge is certainly a creative challenge with this futuristic concept. The SilverFlow reflects our successful motor sports history, while boldly suggesting innovative solutions for the individual mobility of coming generations.”

Source: http://www.duemotori.com/news/auto_news/20362_Los_Angeles_Design_Challenge_The_Mercedes-Benz_SilverFlow_can_take_on_a_wide_variety_of_forms.php

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 17th, 2007 at 10:51 am and is filed under Mercedes Benz News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.