Mercedes-Benz will preview its future top-end VLS at Pebble Beach Automotive Week (Aug 14-17) with the Vision V, a chauffeur-focused show car that emphasises a “Private Lounge” cabin and an immersive digital experience.
The concept follows its world premiere in Shanghai in April and stops in Dubai and Los Angeles, and will be displayed at the Mercedes-Benz Star Lounge in California.
Positioned as a glimpse of the forthcoming VLS grand limousine, the Vision V pairs traditional craftsmanship with high-tech features.
Central to the cabin is a retractable 65-inch 4K cinema screen that rises from beneath a floor console trimmed in burr wood and Nappa leather, separating rear occupants from the cockpit.
The display supports Dolby Vision and is controlled via a centre-console touchpad.
The interior is designed to function as a private theatre, gaming hub, concert venue, office or relaxation space.
Hardware includes 42 speakers, plus seat exciters for haptic feedback, seven projectors in the headliner and floor, and side windows that double as auxiliary “screens” to create a 360-degree cocooning effect.
Ambient lighting synchronises with music for additional immersion. Mercedes-Benz has also updated one of the car’s seven interactive “worlds”: the Karaoke mode now offers an English song for the US showcase, complementing the Chinese track used at launch.
The Vision V’s role is to preview the brand’s new family of privately positioned MPVs, which will adopt VLE and VLS badges. The VLE, with seating for up to eight, will span flexible family and leisure use through to VIP shuttle duties.
It will be the first model on a newly developed, modular and scalable van architecture from 2026, designed to clearly separate privately oriented “Grand Limousines” from commercial transporters. The VLS will expand Mercedes-Benz’s MPV line-up into the top-end segment, serving as the range flagship.
While technical specifications and market timing for the production VLS have not been announced, Mercedes-Benz is using the Vision V’s US debut to underline its strategy for highly personalised, in-car entertainment and lounge-grade comfort of its future people-movers.
