Inspired by the film series avatar and its world of pandora, the Mercedes-Benz VISION AVTR reveals at CES 2020 as a concept for mobility in the distant future. translating to ‘advanced vehicle transformation’, the VISION AVTR showcases a new interaction between human, machine, and nature, and does so by fusing its exterior, interior, and user experience. the result distinguishes a distinctive inside-out design that also references several creatures from the original movie.
Adorning a silver coating, the Mercedes-Benz VISION AVTR body greatly resembles the VISION EQS with its organic, stretched one-bow design. its unique, spherical-shaped wheels – inspired by the seeds of the tree of souls from avatar – embodies the intelligence of nature as treads and blue-illuminated rim arms merge together. the form aids maneuverability as, with both front and rear axles, the car can move sideways by 30 degrees. from the grille to the rear, human and information energy is visualized as neurons that flow across the interior and exterior.
These unite at the back where 33 bionic flaps – reminiscent of reptile scales – communicate with the driver, the outside world and vice-versa through subtle gestures.
The front and rear axles of the car can be driven in the same or opposite direction, enabling the car to move sideways by around 30 degrees “like a crab”, as well as forwards and backward, giving the vehicle an animal-like presence.
“We didn’t want to create a car, we wanted to create something like a living organism,” said Mercedes-Benz chief design officer Gordon Wagener in the keynote speech at CES 2020.
“We created a futuristic vehicle that had to authentically look like it came out of this amazing sustainable [Avatar] world,” he added.
“It is a vehicle that is able to enhance the capabilities of your own body – like the idea of an Avatar in the movie.”
A multifunctional control element running through the center of the car’s interior acts in place of a conventional steering wheel and allows the car and driver to connect via biometric readings.
