This one goes to Eleven

THE FUTURE OF MERCEDES-BENZ IS SO BRIGHT, YOU'RE GONNA NEED SHADES

- ANDY ENRIGHT

THE FUTURE look of Mercedes-Benz is decided in Carlsbad, California. Not some design studio buried in the guts of Sindelfingen or Affalterbach, but in a nondescript brick building at 2250 Rutherford Road. An industrial estate nearer San Diego than Los Angeles might seem an unlikely place for 22 permanent employees to shape the show cars, vehicle studies and mobility concepts of tomorrow, but Mercedes wanted Californian optimism and adventure to colour its creativity. One look at the latest Vision One-Eleven would suggest that it works.

The colour and the proportions are instantly recognisable. The staff at Carlsbad don't call it an homage but a 'progressive reinterpretation' of the incredible C111 experimental prototypes of the 1960s and 1970s. Frankly, we don't really care what they choose to call it if it has some influence on the way that future Mercedes-Benz products are executed.

The shape blends design cues from the C111 with the sweeping one-bow silhouette of the current crop of Mercedes sedans such as the EQE and EQS. The gullwing doors, two-seat layout, orange and black contrast finishes, the front driving lights, and the gill-like vestigial slats behind them are all recognisably C111 tropes.