Mercedes-Benz has used the Open Championship at Muirfield in the UK to unveil its take on the humble golf buggy.
Dubbed the Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart, the design study is the result of an international competition that saw people submit their ideas for a golf cart of the future.
Created and developed by the Mercedes-Benz design department in Carlsbad, California, the electric Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart is intended to combine the functionality of a golf cart with technology and features from Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
Featuring the German car maker’s new ‘diamond grille’, optional lightweight doors, a roof-mounted solar panel and a steering joystick, the cart can be charged continuously and controlled by either passenger.
Heated and ventilated seats, the ‘Airscarf’ neck-level heating system, air conditioning, rain-sensing wipers, cupholders and an illuminated vanity mirror all ensure creature comforts common to Mercedes-Benz cars are carried over.
The cart is also fitted with touchscreens, a head-up display that shows course layout, current game status or weather information and a multimedia panel that includes a docking station for an iPad or iPhone. Mounted in the centre console, the unit allows for Bluetooth connectivity, email functionality, control of the audio system and communication with the clubhouse or other golf carts. Further, digital score cards or photos from the course can be uploaded directly to social media networks.
Additional highlights include a windscreen that can be tinted at the touch of a button, and stowage space behind the seats in a compartment underneath the golf bag housing area and in the centre console specially designed to fit golf balls and scorecards. There is also a small fridge fitted beneath the centre console and a so-called ‘fore button’ that the car maker says “can be used to quickly warn other players of a misplaced shot”.
Mercedes-Benz says the Vision Golf Cart can even be driven on public roads, thanks to its indicators and LED tail-lights and headlights – the latter featuring a floodlight function for play in low light.
Daimler vice president of design Gorden Wagener says the Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart’s refined, simplified and functional shape creates the impression of a “sculpture on wheels”.
“I was very inspired by the idea of designing a golf cart, giving it a new shape and new sorts of meaning,” Wagener said.
American Phil Mickelson won this weekend’s event, ahead of Swede Henrik Stenson and equal third place finishers Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and our own Adam Scott.
