Mercedes-Benz F 700

If you didn't have an environmentally friendly car at the Frankfurt Motor Show, you just weren't trying. Mercedes-Benz developed a 'green' car especially for the IAA in Germany, called the F 700 research car.

Don't expect the Mercedes F-Class any time soon, as this is primarily a prototype vehicle, but it does showcase a number of innovative features, least of which is the'DIESOTTO' 1.8-litre turbo engine.

But first the design: it is oddly attractive. It shows off a curious style that blends both wagon and sedan with sporty design cues, such as the flared wheel arches. Mercedes has already termed this new design idiom as"Aqua Dynamic". It talks of translating the "flow dynamics of a fish into the design of an exceptional automobile".

However, more important than the way it looks is the way the Mercedes-Benz F 700 uses energy.

Powered by a special 'DIESOTTO' 1.8-litre petrol engine, the hybrid car is backed up by an electric motor that reduces fuel economy to an average of 5.3L/100km. That's exceptional when you consider that is very heavy, weighing 1700kg.

The 'DIESOTTO' engine type is similar to systems being trialled by GM that remove the need for spark plugs in a conventional petrol engine, relying instead on intense pressure (like a diesel engine) to provoke combustion.

Using a new design ethos labelled Aqua Dynamic,
the new car aims to create a flowing fish-like design

The F 700 is powered by 175kW 'DIESOTTO' 1.8-
litre engine, which will reach production very soon