Next SLK to offer glass darkening technology for hardtop
Smart glass technology dubbed "Magic Sky Control" will be used on the 2012 Mercedes SLK, according one news source.
The 2012 Mercedes SLK's retractable hardtop will offer a new darkening technology for its glass roof called Magic Sky Control, according to an article in The Independent.
Magic Sky Control is an ethereal-sounding name for technology that uses an electrical surge to distribute light-blocking particles across glass. With the touch of a button, the glass changes from transparent to opaque, giving people additional privacy or the ability to block light. In the Mercedes SLK, the application enables occupants to control the amount of light that enters the vehicle through the glass roof of its retractable hardtop on hot days--or any time more privacy is needed.
Mecedes engineers demonstrated this technology in a disguised production vehicle to a group of journalists, but the article in The Independent described the SLK-like demo vehicle "to have a silhouette that is quite similar to that of the current [SLK] model, although perhaps a little more muscular in appearance."
A leaked Mercedes photo has been circulating online showing what many are guessing to be the roof of the next generation SLK equipped with Magic Sky Control, although Mercedes has declined to confirm that it is indeed their photo. The 2012 Mercedes SLK will officially debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
Source: The Independent, photo via InsideLine
