Emceeing for Mercedes-Benz at CES 2020 | Mercedes x Avatar 2 Film
Katie Linendoll In Partnership with Mercedes-Benz
It was an honor to once again partner with Mercedes-Benz at CES year, and I had the opportunity to lead executive conversations on their main stage. And wow, was there a pretty massive announcement this year! Mercedes kicked off their CES keynote address announcing a global partnership with the Avatar films. Mercedes-Benz CEO, Ola Kaellenius, captivated the stage with a dynamic presentation on their continued goals, highlighted by their push in continued true sustainability—a goal toward a zero negative impact fleet.
Photos: Oliver Schwarz for Mercedes BenzOla introduced the Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR concept car, followed by a discussion with none other than James Cameron. The concept car is a look far beyond into the future with a focus on technology, nature, and human connection; and of course, it takes cues from the Avatar film and sequels.
By working with Mercedes over the past few days, I got a firsthand look inside the vehicle and wanted to share more. In one of my onstage discussions, I also had a chance to chat with Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer of Mercedes, and was absolutely blown away by the concept. He shared how it took almost a year and a half to create this concept in collaboration with their partners from Avatar.
Photos: Mercedes-BenzThe vehicle is as futuristic as expected, exterior to interior, and works intuitively with its driver. The photos do the talking, but here are a few of my favorite points to share:
A heavy precedent was placed on the nature-inspired “sensual design” that organically integrates with the vehicle.
Skip the steering wheel—the car is “woken up” by placing your hand on the center console and then synchronizes with the driver's heartbeat. The heartbeat can be felt via haptic feedback through the interior.
The battery is naturally electric with the capability to drive autonomously—you can even drive diagonal or sideways. The light strips throughout the car are not only stunning but are made to look like a neural network and living organism. The color-changing tires are nearly bioluminescent which take cues from Pandora’s Woodsprites.
The leaf seats are made from color-changing fabric with the inspiration from the ocean’s color spectrum in DINAMICA vegan leather, and the floors are made of Karoon wood.
The 33 bionic flaps on the vehicle backside were probably my favorite—they are intended to mimic the scales of an animal and naturally, of course, are aerodynamic. They can streamline the vehicle when changing direction, express your mood, and even harvest solar power. The vehicle itself is designed to give back to nature.
“It is less of a machine and more of living creature in its own right”
It was also interesting to hear firsthand what didn’t make the final cut. They played with the concept of the car delivering seed bombs as it drove.
All in all, the concept is very in-line with the world of Pandora furthering the point that the partnership makes sense as they see a vision of life in harmony with nature and a continued focus on sustainability—each gaining inspiration from one another. Mercedes stressed in our chats that their continued goal is to create exceptional products with maximum fascination while minimally impacting the planet. Check out more in my mini video below!