Mercedes‑Benz Vision V Luxury Van Redefines Top‑End Travel
Mercedes‑Benz will launch its modular, flexible and scalable Van Electric Architecture, VAN.EA, in 2026, will redefine the private van as an actual luxury vehicle. By expanding its model line‑up from practical family carriers to lavish limousines, the brand creates a new segment where the “Private Lounge” concept elevates comfort, technology and exclusivity.
The Vision V show car previews this pinnacle. It marries generous space with maximum exclusivity and delivers an unprecedented immersive digital experience in a chauffeur‑driven limousine format, its sporty yet elegant exterior signalling dynamism and status. “The Vision V is the beginning of a new era for Mercedes‑Benz Vans. It demonstrates, in the truest sense of the word, how we bring luxury to a spacious cabin and define a new segment. With that, we set standards in design, comfort and an immersive user experience – while meeting the highest demands of our customers.” Thomas Klein, Head of Mercedes‑Benz Vans.
“The Mercedes‑Benz Vans have been iconic for decades. With the Vision V we take that heritage and transform it into a completely new context of highest luxury transportation. This show car embodies the perfect harmony between luxury and van design, setting a new benchmark for the future.” Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer, Mercedes‑Benz Group AG.
A large, automatically opening portal door on the right flank and an illuminated retractable running board welcome passengers into the Private Lounge. An intelligent glass partition can switch from transparent to opaque in moments, giving occupants instant privacy. Inside, traditional craftsmanship meets cutting‑edge tech to create a cocooning yet airy atmosphere that blends security, serenity and digital sophistication.
Crystal‑white Nappa leather and shimmering silk contrast with open‑pore burr wood. Polished aluminium trim frames side‑wall display cabinets that house personal accessories, a racing‑game controller and one of forty‑two Dolby Atmos loudspeakers. Additional speakers sit in glass enclosures on handcrafted brackets, underscoring the open‑plan ambience. The centre console doubles as a display cabinet with touchpad control and a fold‑out table that reveals a high‑quality chessboard. At the same time, it glides automatically to match each seating position.
First‑class seats, modelled on elegant lounge chairs and mounted on polished aluminium bases, use flexible tubular cushions for futuristic style and supreme ergonomics. Occupants recline into a near‑flat position, enjoy ambient strip lighting and a ceiling lamp, and indulge their senses with a bespoke fragrance presented in a polished aluminium bottle behind the console.
A retractable 65‑inch 4K cinema screen emerges from the floor once the doors close, separating the Private Lounge from the cockpit and turning the cabin into an immersive theatre. Dolby Atmos sound with seat exciters, seven projectors in the headliner and floor, and augmented‑reality projections on the side windows create a 360‑degree digital panorama. At the same time, ambient lighting synchronises its hues to music.
Passengers can switch the windows, floor slats and partition wall from clear to opaque in milliseconds thanks to liquid‑crystal technology, enhancing privacy, sun protection or digital display surfaces on demand. The immersive interface offers seven tailored modes: Entertainment for films and music, Relax with calming landscapes and soft audio, Gaming with an integrated controller, Work for mobile office functionality, Shopping for interactive retail, Discovery with 3D surround navigation, and Karaoke for in‑car sing‑alongs.
Up front, a pillar‑to‑pillar Superscreen provides the driver with dynamic real‑time graphics, from the virtual instrument cluster to surround navigation synced with assistance systems, ensuring the cockpit matches the rear lounge in digital prowess.
The exterior embodies the Mercedes-Benz language of sensual purity, characterised by short overhangs, a narrow waistline, and a taut roof that flows seamlessly into a rounded rear, delivering both aerodynamic efficiency and visual lightness. Chrome trim and transparent illuminated louvres highlight the silhouette, while LED signatures welcome occupants with dynamic light shows and hint at the digital world inside.
A newly interpreted chrome grille features three horizontal illuminated glass louvres and almost 200 technical light elements, complemented by another 190 louvres below the bonnet and iconic three‑pointed‑star headlights. Powerdomes on the short bonnet, muscular wheel arches, anthracite metallic alubeam paint and 24‑inch wheels with illuminated louvres project confidence and dynamism. At the rear, over 450 three‑dimensional illuminated louvres frame the expansive window to serve as striking tail‑ and brake lights, completing a design that heralds the future of luxury electric vans.
