In a co-promotional campaign for Avatar: The Way of Water, Mercedes and Lightstorm Entertainment have paired up to make an Avatar-themed concept car, the VISION AVTR. This strategic brand collaboration aims to embed themes such as sustainability, mobility of the future, technology and innovation. Mercedes announced the futuristic car, inspired by the movie, in a statement. The highly anticipated sequel to James Cameron’s Avatar, which will hit theatres on 16th December 2022, is expected to have a huge box-office debut.
Mercedes’ latest Vision Concept highlights environmental compatibility, just like they have on the moon Pandora in the upcoming film. The VISION AVTR’s design takes inspiration from the nature of the planet on which Avatar takes place. A “compostable” battery devoid of rare earth elements powers the electric car, which has vegan seat cloth. The idea was to consider how an environment like that in the movie would influence car design in the future.
The project first started in 2018, about a year after the start of production of Avatar: The Way of Water. Mercedes’ automotive designers worked with the production designers creating Pandora’s creatures, environments, sets and effects. Both teams visited each others’ studios in Germany and California.
The AVTR will not appear in the sequel, but the design is something that would fit in the fictional universe. According to The Verge, the car turns on as you place your hand on the center console, similar to Avatar, where the Na’vi use their hair braids to make symbiotic brain connections with creatures they ride.
The car is barely driveable though, as its futuristic design makes it hard to navigate. The messaging of the campaign focuses on responsibility to our planet – reinforcing the central Mercedes‑Benz corporate messaging “every action counts”. In their statement, Mercedes-Benz said, “This concept vehicle embodies the vision of Mercedes-Benz designers, engineers and trend researchers for mobility in the distant future.”
