Mercedes-Benz Vario Research Concept: One car with four body styles

KUALA LUMPUR: Automakers offer their creations in different body styles, including sedan, wagon, pickup, SUV, drop-top, and so on, as different customers have different choices. Mercedes-Benz is one such automaker, who is well-known for making luxury cars, and often it surprises auto-enthusiasts with its innovative and creative concepts. Here we are taking you in the past to know one such example, Mercedes Benz Vario Research Car (VRC).

The concept was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1995, which looks like a regular Mercedes car at first glance. But a closer look will let you know that it is actually a four in one car. The main gimmick of the concept was its interchangeable bodywork that was able to configure in four body styles - sedan, pickup truck, convertible, and wagon, while the base vehicle is a compact two-door structure.

The one-piece superstructure consists of roof, sidewalls, and a rear section that can easily lift-off to get another variant. The superstructure body is made up of high-tech CFRP, carbon-fibre reinforced plastic, which is more robust as well as 25 percent lighter than aluminum. Mercedes claimed that swapping roofs could be done in just 15 minutes.

Talking about its cockpit, it featured a colorful display for providing information to the driver. In the center console, there was a rotary actuator for the selection of desired menu items, including engine revolutions, onboard computer trip meter, and route recommendations from the onboard navigation system.

The Mercedes-Benz Vario Research Concept also featured a traffic sign evaluating system that was able to identify the speed limit in certain areas and then alert the driver visually whenever speeding. It can be described as an early sign of today’s traffic sign detection.

It was Mercedes Benz's first research car that had drive-by-wire technology for the steering wheel and brakes by eliminating the mechanical linkages.

The vision behind the concept was the answer to the future. Daimler predicted that after a couple of years from now, people would have more leisure time, and they would spend this time engaging in different activities. And they would select their vehicles with leisure time activities and everyday use in mind. However, keeping one’s fleet would be uneconomical, so from this thought, the Vario Research Car comes into the picture.

The idea of having a transformable car is a neat concept, which is also reasonable in today’s world. So, why do you have four different cars when you can have four in one.

Also read: 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet unveiled