Mercedes-Benz unveils 'golf cart of the future' design study

Designed at its Carlsbad studio in California, Mercedes-Benz presented its ‘Vision Golf Cart' to the golfing world during this year's Open Championship in Scotland.

Having called upon car fans and followers of the sport to submit their ideas for a future Mercedes buggy, a jury then went about sifting through all the submissions until they found the best entries.

Electrically driven and powered by a battery kept continuously charged by solar panels on the roof, the buggy is controlled by a joystick mounted on the center console allowing either passenger to drive.

"The Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart has a refined, simplified yet functional shape that fits well into our ‘Sensual-purity' design philosophy", says Gorden Wagener, vice president Design Daimler AG. "I was very inspired by the idea of designing a golf cart, giving it a new shape and new sorts of meaning."

Margarete Wies, head of the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Center in Carlsbad, claims the key to the making of the cart was simplicity: "It has all the latest in modern technology. Using touchscreen monitors, virtually all aspects of the cart can be controlled without extra buttons."

A rotatable docking station for an iPad or iPhone is also incorporated in the center console. From here, various functions can be controlled, including the heads-up display and communications with the clubhouse or other golf carts.

The heads-up display, integrated into the windscreen, can also be used when the golf cart is stationary to show the course layout, current status of the game or weather information.

Optional lightweight doors operate on a click-in function, offering protection, while in sunny conditions, it is possible to darken the windscreen. Rain-sensitive windscreen wipers are also integrated.

Commonly expressed by entrants as a necessity for the buggy was plenty of storage space. Consequently the cart has space for two golf bags, as well as two dashboard compartments. There is also a trunk area.

Thanks to LED headlamps, it is possible for play to carry on even when light starts to fail as they include a floodlight function.

By Ben Higlett