Mercedes-Benz has a new concept. And this time, it’s not a spaceship disguised as a coupe or a hypercar trying to outdo physics. It’s a van. It’s called the Vision V, and it wants to turn the humble people carrier into a rolling lounge suite with a penchant for board games.
Revealed at the Shanghai Auto Show, the Vision V is Mercedes’ way of saying “yes, we can make vans posh too.” The exterior is all chrome gloss and light bars, with a front end that looks like someone taught a nightclub to smile. And at the rear, there’s a tailgate bordered by over 450 lighting elements, which is probably more than your house.
But it’s what’s inside that really sets this thing apart.
Slide open the wide automatic door, or rather, let it open itself, and you’re greeted by seating that looks like Michelin took up upholstery. Mercedes claims lounge chairs inspire the cushion design, but it’s hard to ignore the resemblance to padded marshmallows. The rear seats are the prize, of course. Fully power-adjustable, they recline into beds. Not business-class style. Actual-bed style.
There’s a partition between driver and passengers, called the Private Lounge, and it can switch from see-through to fully opaque with a button. Just in case the board meeting turns into a nap. The side panels are clad in open-pore wood and accented with ambient LED lighting, like a boutique hotel lobby. The central armrest doubles up as a display cabinet. And then, naturally, unfolds into a chessboard.
Yes, really. With proper pieces stored neatly beside the driver. If you’re wondering what kind of suspension you need for a chess game on the move, we’d suggest the kind that doesn’t flinch at potholes the size of Uttar Pradesh.
Still bored? Not for long.
At the push of another button, a 65-inch 4K screen drops down from the roof. It has split-screen capability, so rear passengers can simultaneously shop for shoes and binge-watch spy thrillers. And just to make sure you feel everything, there are 42 speakers. Some are embedded in the seats, so your Spotify playlist will also give you a back massage.
The driver’s office is no less flashy. A wide, curved display stretches across the dash, fusing the digital instrument cluster, infotainment, and passenger screen into a single superscreen unit. The software allows individual profiles, so theoretically, your chauffeur can have different settings than your in-laws.
Underneath, it’s built on Mercedes’ new Van Electric Architecture (VAN.EA), which is their all-electric modular platform designed to also underpin the next-gen Sprinter. No power figures yet, but considering it’s electric, expect torque in the region of 400 to 500Nm and power likely hovering around 300bhp. More importantly, there’s enough range to get you from Pune to Goa with juice left for a chess rematch.
Mercedes says it’s going into production. No timeline, no name, and no confirmation if it’ll come to India. But the Vision V is real. And it’s the sort of van you’d take to a black-tie gala, provided they had valet parking wide enough for a 65-inch TV.
Let’s just hope it remembers it’s still a van. Otherwise, someone’s going to try parallel parking it in Colaba, and that... won’t end well.
