Mercedes takes a swing at a luxurious Golf Car
Mercedes-Benz vehicles are already prevalent on land, water and air. Now their latest design, the Mercedes-Benz Style Edition Garia Golf Car, can be found on golf courses. The German manufacturer’s newest design authentically transfers the unmistakable Mercedes-Benz automobile concept into a premium-class golf cart. The show car is the result of cooperation between Mercedes-Benz designers, Daimler's Think & Act Tank Business Innovation, and the well-known golf cart manufacturer Garia.
In 2013, Mercedes-Benz called upon golf and automobile fans from around the world to submit their ideas for a golf cart of the future. While golf has developed into a premium sport with a modern face, golf carts have remained almost unchanged for decades. The numerous submissions showed the need for a golf cart in keeping with modern times. This meant that the golf cart needed to go through a long overdue evolutionary stage spanning several decades.
Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Daimler AG said: "We have reinvented the world of the golf cart with our Mercedes-Benz Golf Car. Mercedes-Benz stands for modern luxury, and golf is an authentic part of that theme. Transferring our automotive design idiom to the Golf Car is therefore something quite natural, and in doing so we have created a product that is both sensual and pure."
The formal basis for the design of the Golf Car is the same unmistakable design idiom that makes Mercedes-Benz design stand out as a definition of modern luxury. The first conceptual phase already took into account that golf carts need to have certain characteristic features in view of the available space on golf courses. They are narrower and shorter, but also higher than conventional automobiles. The front and rear overhangs are very short in the interests of interior spaciousness within a compact overall length. The unusual proportions that resulted are still harmonious thanks to the design expertise of Mercedes-Benz Style. The designers have also been able to blend the exterior and interior into a formal unit.
All details of the Golf Car come together to form a harmonious whole at a high level when viewed from any angle. The designers intentionally created every little detail from scratch. This includes the rear lights and the modern headlamps, whose striking graphics provide a recognition factor for Mercedes-Benz by lending a face and character to the Golf Car. The headlamps use LED technology, ensuring good visibility in the event of sudden inclement weather and darkness.
The Golf Car self-assuredly declares its origin with the label "Mercedes-Benz Style". This embellishes the side sill panels, the wide lounge chair on which the occupants sit, is prominently engraved in the rear spoiler and takes the form of a badge on the arched trim section of the instrument panel support. The front section and steering wheel bear the Garia logo, and the rear end has prominent Garia lettering.
