As the Open Championship (the oldest Major in golf) gets underway at Royal Troon in Scotland, Mercedes-Benz (one of the oldest luxury car makers doing business today) took a swing at golf transport with Garia. You’d better not call the result a cart.
The Mercedes-Benz Style Edition Garia Golf Car resulted from a partnership between Mercedes-Benz designers, Daimler’s Think & Act Tank Business Innovation and upscale golf cart manufacturer Garia. A one-off prototype, the challenge was to look at the future of the golf transport and to explore how Mercedes-Benz style and luxury transfers over to a sports vehicle.
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In basic function, the Golf Car does everything a vehicle of its class must do. It transports two players and two sets of clubs over hill and dale along any golf course. But, the similarities between a golf cart at your local muni and this Garia build end there.
The Mercedes-Benz Style Edition Garia Golf Car is fully electrical and rechargeable. It packs full LED technology in its headlamps, ensuring visibility in any weather conditions or during twilight golf. The dash includes an integrated onboard touchpad to display car functions and the layout of the golf course, current ball position and an electronic score card.
The car hides a built-in refrigerator under the bench seating and a storage tray under the dashboard to hold golf balls. A hands-free, cordless sound system with full Bluetooth connectivity and stereo, hi-fi speakers is installed directly into the rear roof frame, allowing music from any smartphone or tablet.
A full charge will carry the Golf Car up to 50 miles with a top speed of 19 mph, enough to chew up any course distance with enough power left to make it to the 19th hole for a cocktail.
There’s no word yet if the Mercedes-Benz model might go into official production, but anyone local enough to be at The Open Championship in Scotland this weekend can check out the Golf Car in person.
