Last Tuesday, Germany’s luxury car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz unveiled its new sustainable concept car VISION AVTR during the Consumers Electronics Show 2020 currently held in Las Vegas.
The VISION AVTR, which stands for “advanced vehicle transformation,” embodies Mercedes’ vision for sustainable luxury. The groundbreaking concept car was a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and the creators of the 2009 hit sci-fi film AVATAR.
Avatar Director James Cameron also attended the unveiling of the new concept car. The film-maker tweeted about the collaboration between the Avatar team and carmaker, introducing the VISION AVTR, inspired by Pandora and the movie Avatar, to the world.
Mercedes-Benz also tweeted its excitement with the future of sustainable mobility, announcing the company’s partnership with the Avatar team.
Head of Mercedes-Benz, and Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, Ola Källenius, said in a keynote speech that the company’s vision is to combine the passenger with the luxury vehicle into a “symbiotic organism” creating an immersive experience between the interior and exterior.
The VISION AVTR features four high-performance electric motors with a combined engine power of 350kW built near the wheels, setting a new benchmark for EQ power. The concept car can also move sideways by approximately 30 degrees in a so-called “crab movement.”
Instead of a conventional steering wheel, the luxury car comes with a multifunctional center console. The control unit uses biometric detection to recognize the driver. By merely placing the user’s hand on the center console, the interior activates and creates a biometric connection with the driver.
The exterior features an awe-inspiring futuristic design that boasts its ecologically-sound nature. Källenius said that the connection between humans and machines should be more natural and intuitive. The collaboration’s philosophy is the guiding principle in developing the advanced human-machine interface of the VISION AVTR.
The VISION AVTR also possesses a revolutionary battery technology that eliminates rare, toxic, and expensive materials. The graphene-based organic cell chemistry battery allows for electromobility to become independent of traditional fuels such as fossil fuels. The battery is also 100 percent recyclable.
Director James Cameron also announces with a sneak peek the sequel of the Avatar film franchise, which held the highest-grossing film record until 2019.
