The Mercedes-Benz “Concept IAA” unveiled at this year’s Frankfurt automobile program really changes from a typical commuter to an air-slicing, high-speed racer in seconds. Called the Intelligent Aerodynamic Car, the IAA (which shares the exact same acronym as that utilized in the Frankfurt show’s official name) is, according to Mercedes-Benz, a peek of what a future four-door company sedan might look like.
The “Concept IAA” is powered by a plug-in hybrid power train ranked at 279 hp, with an electronically limited top speed of about 155 miles per hour. The car’s genuine draw is its advanced ability to become more aerodynamic at higher speeds. Above 50 miles per hour (or manually at the touch of a button), the IAA triggers front flaps, a front splitter, and a tail that extends more than 15 inches to accomplish an extremely low coefficient of drag– just 0.19. By comparison, the most aerodynamic design of the current-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class attains 0.22 Cd, while the Tesla Model S manages only 0.24. The wheels, which Mercedes-Benz calls Active Rims, have a deep, colander-like shape at rest, but modify their cupping, or flatten, from 55 millimeters (about 2 inches) to zero by centrifugal force as the vehicle acquires speed.
The Concept’s electronics are also unlike anything currently found on roadway automobiles. Instead of door manages, the IAA uses touchpads that can open doors with the tap of a finger.
Mercedes-Benz says the “Concept IAA” is just a research study in the meantime, although some speculate that the vehicle’s styling, which looks like a futuristic long-tailed Le Mans racecar, foreshadows the design language of future production designs, including the CLA-Class, which already employs a smooth, coupe-like roofline on a four-door body.
