Mercedes-Benz showcased its “Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile” concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show, a vehicle that changes shape after 80 km/h to achieve an incredible 0.19 drag coefficient to slip through the wind like a diving falcon.

The four-door “coupe” is just one vision of where Mercedes is headed with design, ergonomics and efficiency, the company said, displaying a touch-based interior that suggests what the inside of an S-Class might look like in the near future. It’s elegant, sharp and colourful, though there isn’t a knob in sight.

But the exterior is where the shape-shifter truly becomes an aerodynamic marvel, with a tail and flaps that extend and rims that close vanes to alter their cupping.

The IAA also features Car-to-X technology so it can communicate with other vehicles and information sources. Mercedes says this alone could avoid accidents because obstacles or events that are not visible to the vehicle could be detected.

The concept car is powered by a gas/electric plug-in hybrid drive with a total output of 279 horsepower, making for a top speed electronically limited to 250 km/h. CO2 emissions and electric range depend on the mode in which the vehicle is tested; in aerodynamic mode, the IAA manages an all-electric range of 66 kilometres.

Calling the IAA a “symbiosis of design and aerodynamics,” the front is especially fetching and could also represent Mercedes future design.