Mercedes-Benz Bionic

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The Mercedes-Benz Bionic was a concept car created by DaimlerChrysler AG under the Mercedes Group. It was first introduced at DaimlerChrysler Innovation Symposium in Washington. The bionic was modelled after a type of fish, the Ostracion cubicus (a boxfish), and also has 80% lower nitrogen oxide emissions with its SCR technology.

[edit] Engine and Performance

The Bionic is powered by a 103 kW direct-injection diesel engine that gives out around 70 MPG (~3.36 L/100 km). This engine also gives out around a total of 140 horsepower and a little over 221 ft·lbf (~300 newton metres) of torque @ around 1600 RPM. The Bionic can go from 0-60 in about 8 seconds and has a top speed of a little over 190 km/h (118 mph).

[edit] Design

The exterior design was modelled after the yellow boxfish (Ostracion cubicus), a tropical fish that lives in coral reefs. Mercedes-Benz decided to model the Bionic after this fish due to the low coefficient of drag of its body shape and the rigidity of its exoskeleton; this influenced the car's unusual looks. Other parts of the design include the fact that the rear wheels are partially fitted with plastic and that it's considered as a lightweight vehicle. Mercedes-Benz reported a drag coefficient of 0.19^[1]; for comparison, the production vehicle with the lowest ever C_d value was the GM EV1, at 0.195, and this had a much smaller internal volume than the Bionic.