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MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. — Who among us hasn’t imagined what it would be like to drive a car from the future? And we’re not talking about a 2028 Honda Prelude or whatever, interesting as that may be. No, we’re talking decades, maybe even centuries beyond what we have now, where even quaint notions like circular tires are reimagined. Something akin to a spinner from “Blade Runner” or one of those light cycles from “Tron.” So color us stunned when Mercedes-Benz actually offered us some seat time behind the wheel of their Vision AVTR concept.

Mercedes unveiled the AVTR at CES in 2020 as a tie-in to the upcoming movie “Avatar: Way of the Water,” which will hit theaters December 16.The car and the motion picture have the same name, though Mercedes says that AVTR stands for Advanced Vehicle TRansformation. To understand what that means, we have to catch up on the fantasy world writer/director James Cameron created.

“Way of the Water” is a sequel to 2009’s “Avatar,” which imagined a future in which humans have depleted most of Earth’s natural resources. To keep civilization going in the year 2154 they need to mine other planets, including the Earth-like moon Pandora. Unfortunately for the humans, a sentient race of blue-skinned humanoids resides on Pandora, keeping us from harvesting a compound named, literally, unobtainium. These Na’vi live in harmony with nature, hunting with bows and arrows, wearing loincloths, and generally wishing not to be exterminated by a heavily militarized space mining corporation. 

The film was groundbreaking in its use of special effects. Cameron — of “Titanic,” “Aliens” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” fame — said that he wanted to make the movie in the 1990s but had to wait a decade for technology to catch up. We say this only in an attempt to explain just how much of a visual feast the natural beauty of Pandora was. Cameron painted a world awash with bioluminescence, lush vegetation and spectacular landscapes.

Mercedes’ designers wanted to make the AVTR look as if it belonged in this world. As such, the car is imbued with design so organic it makes a 1996 Ford Taurus look like a Volvo 240. In profile, its lines are fluid and unbroken as a river pebble’s, with no angles or corners to denote a traditional three-box shape. An ultra-low roofline melts into a glass bubble cabin nestled more between the wheels than above them. Speaking of the wheels, they’re urethane-skin spheres instead of traditional discs. 

The most animal-esque feature of the car can be found on the back, where an array of 33 bionic flaps open and close independently of one another. Each moves on carbon fiber hinges that accordion like pieces of origami. Their lightness allows for extremely quick actuation, and they can be programmed to flicker in a wave-like pattern like a bird fluffing its feathers. The honeycomb of holes radiates blue light, but if you were to stop suddenly, the flaps would go vertical like air brakes while the openings glow red. It’s an undeniably neat effect, but you probably shouldn’t stare at them too long if you suffer from trypophobia.

To be clear, the car never actually appears in “Avatar: Way of the Water.” In the movie, machines are the enemy, destroyers of the natives’ lifestyle. Also, the Na’vi civilization is pre-agrarian, and it would be rather difficult to drive a car in a land where no paved roads exist. 

It would’ve been easy — expected, even — for Mercedes to stop there. Many show cars aren’t drivable, but it went ahead and built an actual running concept and let ham-fisted journalists go for a spin. 

Approach the car and it comes to life with a dazzling array of lighting animations that pulse and ebb like the glowing flora of Pandora. It’s almost as if the car is breathing, a sensation amplified by the twitching of the back flaps. Gander at the illuminated front end graphic and you’ll see where the EQS and EQS SUV got their noses. LEDs streak down the lower shelf beneath the taillight like comets. Even the wheels have throbbing light patterns that form the “spokes.” Mercedes chief of design Gorden Wagener says they were inspired by the wood sprites from the film.

Glass scissor doors swing open on massive chrome hinges to allow access to the cabin. Points of light swirl and trace the edges of nearly every interior surface, adding to the sense that the car is somehow alive. Settling in gracefully requires you to back your posterior onto the thin, leaf-like seats, then swing your legs into the car. 

The AVTR is so low that you don’t sit so much as you do recline. The first thing you notice is that there’s no steering wheel, no screen, no controls of any kind before you. The dash is simply one sweeping blank curve. All movement of the car is done through a mushroom cap-like joystick in the center console. Its location means either driver or passenger can operate it.

Push the pad forward for Drive, push it backwards for Reverse. Roll it to the left or right to turn in that direction.The AVTR has rear-wheel steering, so the front and rear wheels can angle in opposite directions for a tightened turning radius. Rotate the pad to the left or right and the wheels will angle in the same direction for a diagonal crabwalk. And no, the wheels don’t actually spin in three dimensions like Will Smith’s Audi in “I, Robot.” The spherical shape looks cool, and only the band at the “equator” ever touches the ground. That’s how the lighting on the tires remains undamaged. 

We were able to test these functions in a short drive around a parking lot, but it wasn’t as intuitive as it sounds. To my brain, it would’ve been more natural to rotate to turn and roll to crabwalk. It was also a tad difficult to finesse the pad slowly while the car was in motion, as the car has almost no suspension and minor bumps would transmit through my arm to unintentionally jolt the controller. It’s not the fault of the technology per se. This is just a concept and not designed to be driven at more than a few miles per hour. It also admittedly may have been easier if I were using my dominant hand.

The absence of a steering wheel lets the entire expanse of the curved dash become a screen of sorts. An overhead projector beams a map onto the surface, and as a nod to the movie, Pandora is one of the selectable locations. Changes to the menu are made via gesture. Simply raise your hand to a spot above the console and you’ll see icons projected onto your palm. Then you flick your hand to the left or right to make selections. Like a touchscreen, it takes considerable focus, so such a system would only be prudent when the car is in autonomous mode. 

Because environmental consciousness is a major theme of the “Avatar” movies, Mercedes says that the 110-kWh battery is organic and compostable thanks to the use of graphene and no rare earth metals. Total system horsepower is 469, and power comes from four motors, one at each wheel.

It’s a fascinating thought exercise to imagine how a car from 2154 — or perhaps more accurately, a car not born on planet Earth — might differ from our current machines. Mercedes engineers assured me that I’d get used to it with more practice, but perhaps it was too big of an evolutionary leap for this particular human.

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Formula One took its globe-hoping extravaganza to the Las Vegas Strip over the weekend break for an official “launch event” on what it thinks will be one of the largest showing off events on the planet.

One of the most costly, also.

F1 Chief executive officer Stefano Domenicali informed The Associated Press the Las Vegas Grand Prix will certainly be the most costly follower experience on next year’s 24-race calendar, especially from a VIP experience.

Tickets were set up to go on sale late Saturday evening with the cost of admission starting at $500 for a three-day basic admission pass. Those seats were just included after followers complained that resorts prepared to acquire substantial ticket blocks and repackage them right into amusement experiences ranging from $100,000 to $1 million.

However in advance of tickets going on sale, seats in the grandstands started at $2,500 and also the only hospitality bundle with a price was noted for $10,000.

“Formula One has a specific placing when it come to the type of sporting activity it is,” Domenicali told The AP. “We are mosting likely to deliver the best phenomenon worldwide as a statement of F1. That needs to be recognized as well as in terms of rate positioning we are mosting likely to be on the top side since this is Las Vegas and that is the nature of the customer coming to Las Vegas.

“There will be opportunities for individuals that wish to pay much less, to spend less. As constantly in life, it is the market drawing the rate and then on our side is the responsibility to bring a terrific occasion.”

Based upon a surge in appeal in the United States produced by the behind the curtain Netflix docudrama “Drive to Survive,” F1 in May made Miami its 2nd yearly race in the nation. Las Vegas next year will make it three U.S. stops, as well as 5 North American quits complete with Montreal and Mexico City.

There was some sticker shock surrounding the pricing at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, and Las Vegas is mosting likely to set you back even more. F1, had by U.S.-based Liberty Media, will be a novice marketer for the Nov. 18 evening race that will certainly make use of popular Vegas landmarks and hurry down the Strip.

Liberty Media earlier this year purchased a 39-acre strip for $240 million for the building and construction of pit lanes, paddocks and also friendliness, and also CEO Greg Maffei on Saturday claimed the prices of putting on such a spectacle in a showplace city is evident in ticket prices.

“Given it is our race as a marketer, we intend to make it a showcase of what can be done in any way the races. We intend to capitalize on the follower interest, which is massive in the U.S., the demand is substantial,” Maffei told AP and forecasted tickets would certainly “offer out within hours.”

“Both for us as a firm, this will be the largest race in terms of earnings. It will also be the most costly race in regards to expenses,” Maffei included. “That’s just the nature of the event, the range, and the nature of Vegas. We will attempt to develop financial options for fans, not all followers can pay the leading buck, we understand. This is a costly location to operate and also we’ll attempt to make the most of the fantastic things Vegas has to offer.”

The glitz and also beauty that F1 has in mind was showcased at Saturday’s launch party.

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton as well as fellow drivers Sergio Perez as well as Alex Albon were brought in for a demo run of their F1 vehicles on the Strip, and also Albon claimed he’s the one complete strangers have actually been approaching stating “‘You’re that Netflix guy.’ They do not also understand my name.”

Perez informed The AP he expected the Las Vegas race to be the “biggest showing off event on the planet next year” as well as Haas team employer Guenther Steiner could not think the event was also occurring.

He said when he became aware of Las Vegas he thought “actually? on the Strip. How are we going to race autos here?’ But Vegas can make it take place.”

The “Launch Party” actually started previously this week when an F1 cars and truck drove down the online casino floor of The Wynn, and Saturday consisted of a full day of occasions that included a rest stop challenge, chauffeur appearances, a drone show over Caesars Palace as well as a VIP afterparty with Swedish DJ Alesso at a three-level nightclub inside Caesars.

Throughout the chauffeur demo run, Hamilton’s vehicle broke down, and he had to catch a trip back. His vehicle had to be pressed back.

However the “Launch Party” is a tasting of what F1 thinks can do to make next year’s Las Vegas race well worth the rate of admission.

Hamilton doesn’t know where Vegas’ entry-level $500 standing-room just ticket rankings to name a few F1 races, but did keep in mind expenses have climbed for the customers.

“It’s getting an increasing number of pricey as well as less available to go to our events, and I wouldn’t believe that is an advantage,” Hamilton told The AP.

With 3 quits following year across the United States, F1 thinks it has choices and experiences for every kind of follower at different rate levels. And also on the current path, Vegas intends to be as extravagant as Monaco, maybe more.

“What we want to create is to have various races with different character, with different attributes, with various followers, with various rate points, with various expectations,” Domenicali said. “If all Grand Prix’s were equivalent, it wouldn’t be what we wanted. I assume what we’re going to provide to our fans in Vegas will be unique and in the U.S. we are just scraping the surface area of what we can do.”

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AP automobile racing coverage

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During the 1980s, General Motors worked hard to charm back American vehicle consumers who had defected to European luxury brands. Swanky interiors, advanced electronics and Europe-influenced styling located their method right into several GM versions during the second fifty percent of the years. Pontiac had the 6000 STE, Oldsmobile used the Toronado Troféo, Cadillac sold the Turin-Hamtramck-built Allanté, and also Buick generated the flashy Reatta two-seater. Just under 22,000 Reattas were built during the 1988 through 1991 model years, and today’s Junkyard Find is the 5th example I’ve discovered during my junkyard takes a trip.

The Reatta was the most pricey 1990 Buick, valued at$ 28,335 for the coupe and $34,995 for the convertible (or about$65,895 and$81,380 in inflation-adjusted 2022 bucks).

For that sort of money, American automobile consumers in 1990 might obtain a BMW 325i in sports car or convertible kind for$ 24,650 or$ 33,850. They could obtain a Saab 900 Turbo convertible for $32,995 or an Audi Coupe Quattro for $29,750.

Each of those European rivals had innovative overhead-cam engines and also grippy suspensions, yet the Reatta was improved a reduced variation of the framework that went under the Barcalounger-esque Buick Riviera and also its engine was the old-timey pushrod Buick V6.

The 3.8-liter Buick V6 had been made rather reliable as well as acceptably smooth by the time this cars and truck was constructed, and also it made 165 horsepower (simply 3 less than the BMW 325i), however Buick sales people didn’t have much to extol when showing this engine area to a 35-year-old young person who had just driven a Saab 900 Turbo.

The old-fashioned engine was problem enough, however the absence of a manual transmission served to chase off additional possible buyers. A four-speed automated was compulsory in every Reatta.

Just in case some standard(i.e. Greatest Generation members)Buick customers might consider this glamorous two-seater, Buick terrified them off with the Reatta’s video-game-style digital dash as well as its method-ahead-of-its-time Graphics Control Center touchscreen user interface. You desperate! The Graphics Control Center hardware has been gotten hold of from this dashboard(the elements likewise fit optioned-up Rivieras and also Troféos of the exact same period, so junkyard customers pull them for resale). Naturally, a Reatta proprietor would want a hardwired automobile phone. If you truly intended to be awesome in the early 1990s, you got a Chrysler product with the impressive VisorPhone. The Reatta was hand-built by elite four-worker groups on

a line separate from various other Buicks, as well as construct high quality was asserted to be a lot more than that of its Riviera cousins. This one drove around with temporary tags for some time,

but ended up here before its final owner might obtain correct enrollment. It’s about both passengers who reveal their lifestyle. Laid-back, yet withstanding. It’s difficult to get more 1980s than the

hair on the passenger in this television commercial.

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Xpeng revealed this week that it has ended up being the first car manufacturer to receive the Guangzhou Intelligent Vehicle Road Test Permit on an unmodified commercial lorry. It will now begin checking the G9 SUV’s independent features on public roadways in China.

To get the authorization, Xpeng says that it just needed to do software application updates to the G9 electrical SUV. It did not, however, have to make any equipment modifications to the lorry to get ready for on-road screening.

“Securing the independent driving roadway testing permit for an industrial vehicle is a solid endorsement of our autonomous driving deep R&D and software application capabilities,” said Dr. Xinzhou Wu, Vice President of Autonomous Driving Center at Xpeng. “Our strategy by using mass-produced business vehicles to explore movement options will construct a strong foundation to realize economic climates of range. Considerable cost performance brings us one more action better to marketing robotaxis in the future.”

Read: XPeng G9 Offers Up To 543 HP And Is The World’s Fastest Charging Electric SUV

A major step in the business’s goal to move right into the robotaxi area, Xpeng says it expects to leverage its platform-based modern technology stack to educate its advanced chauffeur aid and independent driving systems. That will certainly aid it speed up the advancement of software application for its self-driving cars.

Revealed a year back, the Xpeng G9 is a five-seat electrical crossover that makes up to 543 hp (405 kW/551 PS) as well as 529 lb-ft (717 Nm) of torque in its most effective trim. In more range-focused trims, it can rise to 436 miles (702 km) on a single charge.

Many thanks to its 800V billing innovation, Xpeng declares that the G9 is the “world’s fastest-charging mass-production SUV.” That indicates that at 480 kW, it can recoup up to 124 miles (200 km) in range in as little as five minutes. Billing from 10-80 percent, on the other hand, takes just 15 minutes.

It is many thanks to its collection of 31 sensing units, an onward facing camera, and also twin LiDAR sensing units that it has all the equipment needed to drive autonomously without adjustments. All of that info is taken care of by two Nvidia Drive Orin chips.

Deliveries of the client car started in China last month, with prices starting at ¥ 309,900 ($42,441 USD at existing currency exchange rate). Xpeng is likely to offer the G9 in foreign markets, also, as it was “actively developed” for worldwide sales.

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The new BMW M3 CS will certainly serve as the ultimate expression of the G80 M3, functioning as the four-door counterpart to the M4 CSL. As well as it seems as though this vehicle’s debut might be appropriate nearby, as our spy digital photographers were able to catch it with much less camouflage than ever.

Unlike the M4 CSL, which has a host of transformed visual appeals to distinguish it from the normal M4, the M3 CS appears to be mostly the like the routine M3 save for the brand-new front end. There is the possibility that BMW can fit it with the M4 CSL’s ducktail spoiler and also a version of its OLED taillights before its launching, however if this nearly-finished prototype is anything to go off of, it doesn’t look as though it will.

Read More: 2024 BMW M3 CS Coming To Give Mercedes-AMG C63 S A Run For Its Money

Don’t let that fool you, though, as the CS will still be loading substantially more performance than the auto it’s based upon. The expectation as of today is that it will certainly be powered by an uprated variation of the conventional M3’s twin-turbo 3.0 L inline six making about as a lot, otherwise specifically the very same amount of power as the M4 CSL. Must that be the case, outcome would certainly remain in the world of 543 hp (550 PS/ 411 kW) and 479 lb-ft (649 Nm), which is 40 hp (41 PS/ 30 kW) more than the M3 Competition, yet say goodbye to torque.

See Also: 2024 BMW M3 CS Spied As A Four-Door M4 CSL

Other invisible under-the-skin modifications are most likely to include a stiffer framework, modified suspension components with new adjusting, stickier tires, as well as far better brakes. The auto will certainly also undertake some substantial fat burning, particularly in the form of the roofing, hood, trunk cover, and container seats all being made of carbon fiber. Taking a look at the lightweighting efforts of the last M3 CS and the current M4 CSL, these adjustments will likely total up to a weight savings of around 150-175 pounds (68-79 kg) on the new M3 CS.

Image Credits: CarPix for CarScoops

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The Hyundai Veloster N fasts, however is it comparably fast to the Volkswagen Golf R? There are lots of ways to understand the answer to that inquiry, and drag race is one of them, especially in a straight-line comparison.

Aligning for this video, courtesy of Edmunds, is the Veloster N, the last variation of the nameplate that Hyundai still makes. The contender is the most up to date version of the Golf R based upon the eighth-generation Golf. Both hot hatches are powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-banger however the German one has one blazing advantage over the South Korean four-door.