It is also one of the reasons Germany leads the automotive industry in engineering, safety and design. Best-selling cars made by Mercedes-Benz today include the S-Class Coupe, the SLS AMG Sport Convertible and the C-Class and SLK-Class Sedans.
Mercedes-Benz recently previewed their new plug-in hybrid car, the Concept IAA, at the Frankfurt Motor Show. If that seems an awkward name for a car, it needn't be. IAA stands for Intelligent Aerodynamic Design. The name indulges a bit of wordplay as those same three letters identify Germany's internationally famous Frankfurt-based motorcar show - the largest in the world - where it made its debut, the Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung.
Technically a coupe, the Concept IAA is impressive in every way, not the least of which is its appearance. Its arrow sleek body may liken it to a speeding bullet. It's an innovation on four wheels, a conduit for the past to zoom into the future. It's not exactly something out of the TRON movies, but it's not far off.
The car's profile evokes an outline of seamless silk save for its target-motif rimmed tires and front and rear grilles with their red-glossed cutouts. The rear grille's light strip is a callback to the classic Mercedes signal light spectrum.
The aerodynamic is the key aspect the IAA's design hinges on. The car's body is shaped to resist - cut through - wind drag.
The car has two modes: design mode for regular cruising, and aerodynamic mode for speeds over 80km/h. The latter automatically deploys at that threshold, at which point several changes take effect:
The IAA also stands out with a 279 horsepower electric motor and hybrid powertrain. With a 63km reach when fully charged, it goes from zero to 100 in under six seconds. Finally, it can attain a top speed of 250km/h.
For the record, the aerodynamic mode also engages with the push of a button. The driving experience is further optimised with optical finger navigation. OFN enables maximum line-of-sight visibility concurrent with operation of GPS, electronic assistance and infotainment systems.
The Concept IAA appears to set a new standard for hybrid eco-conscious vehicular travel. Its overall design is not entirely new but a luxuriant refinement on time-honored variations. Its technology and interface rest firmly within the parameters of interactive electronic assistance and maneuverability, but again these are new refinements.
The folding flaps and expanding rims are aspects of various technologies imported from the racing genre. Yet the IAA's most striking element is undoubtedly its appearance. Fifty years ago, a vehicle like the IAA would only have appeared on the cover of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
Ironically, the IAA partially resembles a UFO. The fully convex rims resemble saucers from an old sci-fi movie. The rear grille, when fully lit up with its left and right vertical banks, looks as though it can fire aft lasers thanks to the brilliant red hues stacked on each other.
The IAA rests either at the denouement of a long journey or idles at the threshold of a brand new voyage that has been charted by the captain of a new ship. The adage goes that all old things renew themselves. It can be said that the Ghosts of Automotive Past have reported. They are ready to file into this car and ride with its corporeal passengers into a new tomorrow.
Some other vehicles will zoom into the arena that may be priced within the Concept IAA's range, though like the IAA no price estimates have been released. Audi, another major German competitor, has unveiled its A4, a car also designed to reduce drag and travel efficiently by way of a much lighter aluminum-and-steel body. The A4 is not a hybrid car.
Other recent cars designed with similar performance initiatives are the Tesla Model S and Volkswagen's XL 1, which is top-rated in the category of fuel efficiency.
