The Formula Zero racecar, pictured above in all its conceptual glory, is the Mercedes-Benz take on racing in the year 2025. Designed by the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Centre of North America, the car aims to mash together the "the thrill of Formula One, the track dynamics of the bobsled or luge, and the grace and efficiency of yacht racing." As you can see from the obvious sail, there's also a great deal of wind power and energy efficiency present in the design. In 2025, racing teams are allocated a set amount of stored energy, which team and drivers must manage to win the race. Winners are determined not only by elapsed time, but also on their team's energy efficiency factor. An outrageously detailed explainer of this futuristic racing world, complete with clear glass race tracks, lies below.

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It's Mercedes' Swarovski Elements iPhone pouch from their GLK collection, which holds your iPhone the way that only a gaudy piece of leather can. Only 40 are going to be made (as of now), and will be raffled off in the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin to people who are rich enough to attend. More gaudiness after the jump. [eMercedes Benz]

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German car manufacturer Mercedes is buying the iPhone-is-God credo, and has come up with a designated piece of gear to allow Benz drivers to integrate their iPhones into the car system. The US$249 gadget works with the C-, E-, CLK-,
CLS-, S-, CL-, SL-, M- and R-Class cars, as well as the forthcoming GLK-Class. It connects your phone to the car's audio system via either the optionally available Media Interface or the retrofittable iPod® Interface Kit. Full press release below.

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Sure, we have heard word of lithium ion batteries being possibly implemented in a Prius before, but Mercedes-Benz is going beyond concept speculation with its S400 BlueHybrid, which promises Li-ion HEV action to be hitting the production lines by 2009. At present, that makes the S400 BlueHybrid the first Li-ion HEV with a set mass-production time frame.

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For those of you who thought the iPhone was too expensive, brace yourselves for the crap that turned up at Russia's Millionaire Fair. A gold and diamond-encrusted phone - possibly the customised Vertu shown above - costs a jaw-dropping $US1.2 million. (Cash only, please.) Does it do anything particularly exciting that other handsets can't, like neutralise your enemies with hot lasers? No, but its SIM card will let you make an unlimited amount of local calls from anywhere in the world, courtesy of an unnamed Russian mobile phone carrier. Other insanely unnecessary products on display for the semi-legitimate businessmen and their trophy 23-year-old wives:

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Mercedes-Benz claims to have a vision of the car market 50 years from now, and their contribution is called the SilverFlow (but ironically looks like gold). Instead of being constructed from metal, plastic and fibreglass components, the SilverFlow is made of micro-metallic particles that are controlled by magnetic fields. A key fob stores different designs and components allowing the driver to restructure the car at will as changes only require magnetic adjustments. But the best part? The car will have the ability to self-repair. You, of course, will stay dead. But your kids will really appreciate that the car went unharmed. Hit the link for a full gallery. [jalopnik]