(upbeat music)
- This is the first Mercedes ever, the 35 PS.
In 1901, this baby won race after race after race
vaulting Mercedes to the top of the automotive world.
(upbeat music)
For the rest of the century Mercedes
maintained their status as a top tier brand,
continuously pushing the limits
of quality performance and safety.
So with Tesla leading the way in the luxury EV market
and the unveiling of the truck of the future;
how does Mercedes respond?
They wait ten years and then introduce
the car of the future according to 120 years ago.
But I have to wonder is Mercedes blowing it?
This is the Vision Mercedes Simplex,
a concept car cooked up by Mercedes to boldly announce
its foray into eclectic vehicle manufacturing.
Look how cool it is right?
In order to understand how and why
the Simplex exists though, we must go back in time.
In 1901, a rich guy named Emil Jellinek realized,
"Hey we have better technology than horses now right?
We need to start from the ground up
and redesign the automobile."
He commissioned Daimler the inventor
of the gasoline engine to reinvent the car.
They lengthened and widened the wheel base or stability,
installed a cutting edge four stroke engine
low over the front axle for better center of gravity
and put it all on a lightweight steel frame.
The result was the Mercedes PS 35
named after Emil's daughter Mercedes.
The PS 35 means pferdestärke. (laughs)
The PS 35 means pferdestärke 35 or 35 horsepower.
How many horses you want?
This was not only the first Mercedes
but it was still considered the first modern car.
Mercedes went on the make luxury cars
for the richest, most powerful people in the world.
Their 770 series was popular with Hitler, oh no.
After inventing the gasoline engine
Daimler and Mercedes never looked back,
developing the hell out of the internal combustion engine.
Constantly reshaping heads, adding cylinders,
experimenting with different materials
and look where they are now.
The AMG GT R and the G-Class SUV's both feature
a twin turbo V8 that gives you 577 horsepower.
How many horses do you want now? Oh, I got you, 577.
But the internal combustion engine is falling out of vogue.
And it seems like every manufacture
has at least one EV offering.
(upbeat music)
Cheaper EV's like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt
have been around since 2011.
Ford just unveiled their new
electric Mustang crossover thing.
All indicators show but the auto industry
is going electric with half of
all new vehicles to be electric by 2040.
20 years, wow.
For a company that's usually ahead of trends though,
Mercedes has been slow to enter this market
like a normal luxury brand. And they realize it.
In 2019, Mercedes finally came out with
their first electric vehicle, the EQC SUV.
But their not just dipping their toes in the pool here,
they also announced that they will halt development of the
internal combustion engine to focus on electric vehicles.
(dramatic music)
I'll say that again, Mercedes,
the inventor of the gas engine,
is fazing out gas engines and going all in on electric.
They'll still improve their ICE's for the next few years
but they'll have no new models.
Daimler and by extension Mercedes says by 2030
half of all new cars sold will be hybrid or electric.
I understand that they will need a change
but damn that's pretty short notice.
Mercedes plans to introduce 10 new electric models by 2022,
including an all electric G-Wagon.
That's how I know they're serious,
that thing is going to print money, in LA at least.
(upbeat rock music)
I can't wait to see vanity plates on these things like
E-Wagon and not Elon and I've always been richer than you
but now I'm morally superior as well. Oh great.
Mercedes is takin gon a huge commitment
and they're the late comer.
How does a late comer to the market
establish themselves as a leader?
Answer, make a bold entrance
while showing off your innovation.
The conditions are perfect for a sweet concept car
that can beat the model S at the Autobahn.
And baby that's what we got.
(sensual music)
The EQ Arrow. Inspired by what would happen if
the 1937 W125 Silver Era had sex with the T-1000.
This sleek bastard can take one passenger
to 60 miles per hour in under two seconds
thanks to its 750 electronic horses.
Awesome concept car Mercedes.
This is boundary pushing, bold and arguably
more futuristic than Tesla's Cybertruck.
I'm not going to make any jokes about that thing,
you've heard them all.
This is how you launch an electric car line.
Go futuristic as hell for concept then work in the
practicality until you have something that sells.
Let's see the next EV concept from Mercedes.
(screams)
Whoa! To far back! We were expecting something
we might be able drive this century.
Design aside, Mercedes didn't even
roll this baby out the right way.
Normally you introduce a concept car at an auto show
where people expect to see the latest designs and concepts.
Tesla just did their livestream spectacle
where they took a sledgehammer to their new spaceship.
So, how does Mercedes roll out their EV of the future?
In the year 2019 at the exclusive
Mercedes advanced design center in Nice, France.
In this private high class (mumbles) surrounded
by a bunch of rich Europeans and company T-shirts,
200 euro pants and 400 euro sneakers,
Mercedes unveiled the vision Mercedes Simplex.
And old style car introduced in the place that
use to be center of the auto world 120 years ago.
Presented by the only people rich enough to afford it.
Look, I know I'm being tough on Mercedes
for everything surrounding the Simplex,
which is a shame because for what it is,
the car is extraordinarily fun.
So, where do we even start with the Simplex?
The front I guess. The grill is a 3D display with
the old Mercedes logo and vehicle status animations.
Animations on your grill.
The body is obviously based on the PS 35,
but with a bold new color scheme.
White in the front, pitch black in the back,
the bright blue interior and rose gold trim on the grill
and the wheels.
Mercedes was never going to mass produce the Simplex
or really any car with no headlights,
but that's really not the point.
The point is if you are faxing out the gas engine
you should have a hit EV already.
In the world where the Cybertruck
is breaking ground and about to change ship,
I think Mercedes went the wrong direction.
Instead of going to the future
they hearkened back to the past.
Not sure that's the right move.
You know those articles written in the 1900's,
that imagine what the world would be like in the year 2000,
that's kind of what the Simplex is.
But, electric cars aren't some far off,
vague concept anymore. They market exists already
and we want Mercedes in that marketplace.
I love Mercedes and I know that Mercedes can do it.
They're the only company that makes
super cars and garbage trucks.
If they focus their novation on marketable
electric vehicles they'll be making sweet
electric cars for generations of people and Popes.
Hey guys, we have a ton of new merch in our store
with some returning favorites.
The Remove Before Flight key chain is back.
That was a huge seller, we got that back for you guys.
Just in time for winter we have windbreakers.
We have new socks, we got
Mo Powa baby socks, they're yellow.
We have a new air freshener design for your car.
And we have all the old favorites
like this old shirt right here.
Go check it out at donut.media, get yourself some merch.
It's very comfortable, I will say that.
Hey guys, the remove before flight key chain-
I have to sneeze now.
(bleeped)
Salute. As far as the Cybertruck goes
I actually really like how different it is.
It's ridiculous looking, I know,
I'm not saying it's a good looking car but it's fun.
It is hilarious how they broke both windows though.
Be nice, I'll see you next time.