Mercedes Vision V is The Millionaire's Magic Carpet - Because First Class Isn't Good Enough Anymore
Image Credit: Mercedes-Benz.
Have you ever seen anything quite like it? Finally, something to whisk the world's elite from their helipads to their yachts in utter, silent, and presumably very expensive comfort. Just when you thought the humble minivan had reached its peak with sliding doors and maybe a built-in vacuum cleaner, Mercedes decides to launch something that looks like it escaped from a Bond villain's lair. This "Vision V" concept, which is apparently a sneak peek at the next V-Class, aims to redefine how the ridiculously wealthy get from A to their other, slightly fancier A.
Your cramped private jets and your chauffeur-driven limousines that still dare to make a bit of noise are so last year. This electric behemoth, riding on Mercedes' new VAN.EA platform (catchy name, that), promises a silent glide of up to 311 miles. That's enough to get you from, say, Monaco to Milan without having to mingle with the riff-raff at a charging station. Though, knowing this target demographic, they probably have someone else handle that sort of peasant work.
Vans, historically, have been about as stylish as a pair of sensible shoes. Utilitarian, yes. Head-turning? About as much as a beige wall. But the Vision V is trying. The rear window has a bit of a swoopy thing going on, which they're calling "coupe-like." I suppose if you squint and have had a particularly strong gin and tonic, you might see it.
The front, however, is dominated by what they're calling an "LED grille." Apparently, it's made of LED bars and does a little light show when you approach. Clearly, nothing says subtle like your car winking at you. The rear is even more… enthusiastic. A segmented LED ribbon encircles the whole darn thing, with over 450 illuminated louvers acting as taillights. Overkill? You bet. But it is the best-looking overkill ever.
But the real party trick is inside. Mercedes calls it a "Private Lounge interior," and it's not hard to see why. Forget your usual drab leather and scratchy carpets. We're talking crystal white Nappa leather and silk. Yes, silk. Why not feel like you're being chauffeured around in a giant, luxurious pillow?
And for those moments when the conversation about your latest acquisition of a small island gets a bit tiresome, there's a 65-inch, yes, sixty-five-inch, 4K cinema screen that rises majestically from the floor. Backed up by 42 speakers, no less. Forty-two! That's more speakers than you'd find at a rock concert. And if that's not immersive enough for you, the seven onboard projectors can turn the windows into extra screens. Apparently, watching the peasants go by in glorious 360 degrees is the height of entertainment.
Image Credit: Mercedes-Benz.
And for when you need to engage in some serious, high-stakes… well, probably more like low-stakes for these folks… mental sparring, a fold-out table transforms into a chessboard. One can just picture the tense silence, broken only by the gentle hum of the electric motors and the clinking of ridiculously expensive chess pieces.
Image Credit: Mercedes-Benz.
Mercedes hasn't spilled the beans on the exact power figures, but they did mention that the VAN.EA platform can handle both single and dual-motor setups. Given the clientele, I suspect they'll opt for the "dual-motor, get me to my Swiss bank account yesterday" version. And with an 800-volt electrical system, charging should be relatively quick, meaning less time plugged in and more time, presumably, counting their money.
Since this is just a concept, Mercedes hasn't announced the price, but let's be realistic. When it comes to the market, in its production version - the new V isn't going to be cheap, especially in this Maybach-like trim. We're talking "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" territory. Think somewhere in the ballpark of a small country's GDP, or perhaps just a very well-appointed mansion in Beverly Hills. When it finally arrives in 2026, it's aiming to take on the likes of the Lexus LM. Which, by all accounts, is already quite posh. So, Mercedes is clearly not messing around.
This Vision V concept is more than just a van; it's a silent, electrically powered statement that whispers, "I have so much money, I can turn a minivan into a mobile palace." And while the rest of us might be battling for parking spaces in our slightly less opulent vehicles, the future billionaires will be reclining in their silk-lined thrones, watching the world go by on their giant screens.
It's a bit bonkers, utterly extravagant, and secretly, a little bit brilliant. You've got to admire the sheer audacity of it all. Me? I need to go and have a lie-down – all this talk of luxury is making my sensible shoes feel rather inadequate.
