It seems like movie tie-ins are becoming more common for concept cars. First Porsche designed a spaceship for “Star Wars,” and now Mercedes has created a concept car inspired by and named after the “Avatar” film series from James Cameron. It’s called the Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR (which stands for Advanced Vehicle Transformation), and Mercedes’ goal is to make it feel much like a creature you become one with, just as the fictional Na’vi do with the creatures on Pandora.
To do this, Mercedes started by creating possibly its curviest, most organic design yet. There’s not a single straight line on the car, except where the cutouts exist for what Mercedes calls “bionic flaps.” They’re little pop-out panels that raise and flex almost like the hairs on an animal. Even the wheels are bulbous and round. There are ambient lights all around the car that react when you approach the car and change to express emotions based on driving style. The cockpit resides in what looks like a big blue bubble.
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Die unverwechselbare Inside-Out-Designstruktur verbindet sich innen und außen zu einem emotionalen Ganzen und wurde von mehreren Kreaturen aus dem Film „Avatar“ inspiriert. The distinctive inside-out design structure combines inside and outside into an emotional whole and was inspired by several creatures from the movie “Avatar”.
Mit dem gestreckten „One Bow“-Design und der organischen Designsprache bietet das VISION AVTR einen visionären Ausblick auf das Design der Zukunft. With its stretched “One Bow” design and organic design language, the VISION AVTR offers a visionary outlook on the design of the future.
Mit dem VISION AVTR demonstriert Mercedes-Benz eine nachhaltige Vision emissionsfreier Mobilität – auch in Sachen Antriebstechnik. With the VISION AVTR, Mercedes-Benz is demonstrating a sustainable vision of zero-emission mobility – also in terms of drive technology.
Mercedes-Benz VISION AVTR – inspiriert von „Avatar“: Der Name des Konzeptfahrzeugs steht für ADVANCED VEHICLE TRANSFORMATION und verkörpert die Vision von Mercedes-Benz Designern, Ingenieuren und Trendforschern für Mobilität in ferner Zukunft. Mercedes-Benz VISION AVTR – inspired by “Avatar”: The name of the concept vehicle stands for ADVANCED VEHICLE TRANSFORMATION and embodies the vision of Mercedes-Benz designers, engineers and trend researchers for mobility in the distant future.
Das Fahrzeug als Lebewesen: Die 33 „bionischen Klappen“ (bionic flaps) auf der Rückseite des Fahrzeugs erinnern an Reptilienschuppen. Sie könn en mit dem Fahrer und durch den Fahrer mit ihrer Außenwelt durch natürlich fließende Bewegungen in subtilen Gesten kommunizieren. The vehicle as a living creature: The 33 “bionic flaps” on the back of the vehicle are reminiscent of scales of reptiles. They can communicate with the driver and through the driver with their outside world through naturally flowing movements in subtile gestures.
Inspiriert von Mutter Natur: Als Hauptinspirationsquelle für den Innenraum des VISION AVTR dient die Natur: Die gesamte Struktur ist aus einer Linie entworfen und nimmt organische Formen an. Inspired by Mother Nature: Nature serves as the main source of inspiration for the interior of the VISION AVTR: The entire structure is designed from one line and takes on organic shapes.
Inspiriert von Mutter Natur: Als Hauptinspirationsquelle für den Innenraum des VISION AVTR dient die Natur: Die gesamte Struktur ist aus einer Linie entw orfen und nimmt organische Formen an. Inspired by Mother Nature: Nature serves as the main source of inspiration for the interior of the VISION AVTR: The entire structure is designed from one line and takes on organic shapes.
Inspiriert von Mutter Natur: Als Hauptinspirationsquelle für den Innenraum des VISION AVTR dient die Natur: Die gesamte Struktur ist aus einer Linie entwo rfen und nimmt organische Formen an. Inspired by Mother Nature: Nature serves as the main source of inspiration for the interior of the VISION AVTR: The entire structure is designed from one line and takes on organic shapes.
Die Passagiere sind mit ihrem ergonomischen Fahrzeug über die Sinne verschmolzen und können verschiedene intuitive Funktionen über Projektionen auf der Handfläche nutzen. Passengers are fused across the senses with their ergonomic vehicle and can use various intuitive functions via projections on the palm of their hands.
Die Passagiere sind mit ihrem ergonomischen Fahrzeug über die Sinne verschmolzen und können verschiedene intuitive Funktionen über Projektionen auf der Handfläche nutzen. Passengers are fused across the senses with their ergonomic vehicle and can use various intuitive functions via projections on the palm of their hands.
Die unverwechselbare Inside-Out-Designstruktur verbindet sich innen und außen zu einem emotionalen Ganzen und wurde von mehreren Kreaturen aus dem Film „Avatar“ inspiriert. The distinctive inside-out design structure combines inside and outside into an emotional whole and was inspired by several creatures from the movie “Avatar”.
Die unverwechselbare Inside-Out-Designstruktur verbindet sich innen und außen zu einem emotionalen Ganzen und wurde von mehreren Kreaturen aus dem Film „Avatar“ inspiriert. The distinctive inside-out design structure combines inside and outside into an emotional whole and was inspired by several creatures from the movie “Avatar”.
Mit dem VISION AVTR demonstriert Mercedes-Benz eine nachhaltige Vision emissionsfreier Mobilität – auch in Sachen Antriebstechnik. With the VISION AVTR, Mercedes-Benz is demonstrating a sustainable vision of zero-emission mobility – also in terms of drive technology.
Durch die Möglichkeit, Vorder- und Hinterachse gleich bzw. gegensätzlich anzusteuern, kann sich das VISION AVTR im Gegensatz zu herkömmlichen Fahrzeugen seitwärts fortbewegen. Der sogenannte „Krebsgang“ gibt dem Konzeptfahrzeug auch in seiner Fortbewegung eine reptilartige Anmutung. Due to the possibility to drive the front and rear axles simultaneously or in opposite ways, the VISION AVTR can move sideways, in contrast to conventional vehicles. The so-called “crab movement” gives the concept vehicle a reptile-like appearance even in its movement.
Erstmals setzt das Konzeptfahrzeug VISION AVTR eine revolutionäre Batterietechnologie ein, die auf graphenbasierter organischer Zellchemie bas iert und völlig frei von Seltenen Erden und Metallen ist. Die Materialien der Batterie sind kompostierbar und damit vollständig recycelbar. Auf diese Weise wird die Elektromobilität unabhängig von fossilen Ressourcen. For the first time, the VISION AVTR concept vehicle is using a revolutionary battery technology based on graphene-based organic cell chemistry that is completely free of rare earths and metals. The materials of the battery are compostable and therefore completely recyclable. In this way, electric mobility becomes independent of fossil resources.
Inside the bubble, the organic theme continues with rounded, scalloped chairs and ripple-like lines and lighting. The dashboard has no instruments or screens, but it can project images of the surrounding world onto the dash including representations of things we can’t see, such as light on the ultraviolet spectrum. Mercedes also touts the rattan flooring, vegan leatherette and other recyclable materials in the cabin.
The interface is unique. Instead of a steering wheel or the Na’vi’s hair/nervous system connector, the Vision AVTR has a control stick — pad? patch? — in the center console for moving the car. When you place your hand over it, it raises up, and pushing it in the direction you want to go controls the car. The car does have a fully autonomous mode, in which the control surface will drop back into the console. When the control is at half height, the car still drives autonomously, but you can adjust the speed. As for the infotainment system, icons representing functions are projected onto your hand when you raise it up. You then select functions using hand gestures.
Powering the Vision AVTR is an equally fanciful electric system. It features a 110-kWh battery good for an estimated 435 miles. But what’s interesting is that Mercedes says it uses an organic battery chemistry made possible with graphene and it uses no rare earth metals and is compostable. It can even fully charge in just 15 minutes. The battery supplies electricity to four individual electric motors, one for each wheel. Total system output is 469 horsepower, and the individual motors allow for highly-controllable torque vectoring. The car has four-wheel steering, too, and the steering can work in parallel, allowing for a sort of forward drift. It’s mostly just to show off. The onboard computers also are highly efficient, and can be powered off the solar panels embedded in the aforementioned “bionic flaps.”
What are the odds of a production version of the Vision AVTR? About as good as finding unobtainium.