Part 1 – CES2020: Mercedes

In recent years, Mercedes-Benz has not necessarily covered itself with glory at CES. Thus, combustion engines were revealed as the news and touted to the baffled trade audience, or autonomous concept cars were presented and demonstrated, which were just remotely driven on Las Vegas Boulevard with journalists. I have already dealt extensively with the CES performance of this traditional German manufacturer.

This year at least one of my predictions has not come true. A Mercedes combustion engine was not exhibited at the CES, but the Mercedes EQC and two concept cars, which are never built like this, but have one main effect: they attract the public.

First, the evening keynote on Monday presented the Mercedes Vision AVTR, a car inspired by the film Avatar, which Avatar director James Cameron also helped design. The silver color or the streamlined design are less striking, as this has been seen many times in the history of Mercedes-Benz, but rather in front of you the gills at the rear. Yes, there are somehow gills or fish scales that move. Why doesn’t anybody know The tires on the other hand should allow driving in all directions and they shine. There is no steering wheel either, because all recent concept cars are of course autonomous vehicles.

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Slick design, with spartan interior, movable gills/fish scales and light strips. That’s it. A smoke grenade.

Then the second concept vehicle was the Mission EQS, which has been known for a long time. Electric, autonomous, silvery.

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And here a video from the head lamps.

The second prediction has not yet come true either: namely that Mercedes will again let an “autonomous” concept car drive forwards and backwards on Las Vegas Boulevard by remotely controlling it.

At least they learned one detail: last year, many visitors came to the Mercedes stand to take better pictures of the Bell Nexus – the helicopter known from Avatar – from the elevation. This was stopped this year by moving a wall to this side. And this time, it wasn’t the Bell Nexus behind it, but an equally impressive Hyundai-Uber air taxi.

This article was also published in German.