Mercedes-Benz designed the prettiest golf cart ever
The automaker calls its cart "a real sports car," which is the best dad joke we've heard an automaker make.
This interior is nicer than some street cars. Hell, its 10.1-inch touchscreen is larger than most of Mercedes' own in-car offerings.
Mercedes-Benz already produces a wide variety of vehicles, from lithe little sports cars to full-size trucks. But it's never built a golf cart...until now. Sensing a lack of high-end golf carts in the industry, Mercedes went and made its own, and damn, it's fancy.
Its look is unmistakably Mercedes-Benz, perhaps mixed with a bit of Smart. Manufactured by Garia, it has thin LED headlights (required for US street-legal status) and a flowing interior with a single-piece bench seat. The roof is made from carbon fiber, and it even has a spoiler out back, which doubles as golf-bag storage.
If you're looking for fancy features, the cart's lousy with 'em. Underneath the bench seat is a refrigerator, and there are two very fancy cup holders by the A-pillars. There's a 10.1-inch touchscreen atop the dashboard, and owners can use Bluetooth to pipe music from their phone to the cart's built-in speakers. It'll also keep track of your mulligans with an electronic scorecard.
Powering this cart is a 4-horsepower electric motor. Its lithium ion battery provides 50 miles of range and takes just six hours to top off. Its payload rating is a staggering 1,000 pounds, in the event you play golf with elephants that can't be bothered to walk.
Right now, Mercedes and Garia will produce just two examples of the cart. However, if customer demand grows, the opportunity exists for a production run. The goal is to sell these primarily via digital channels, preventing the need for showrooms and the like -- the company envisions folks buying them at dealerships or on the fairway. There's no mention of price, but if you have to ask...
