If this weird-looking contrivance from Mercedes-Benz reminds you of anything, and the thing it reminds you of is an 11-year-old CGI-heavy film from legendary director James Cameron, then congratulations: you've spotted the link between the M-B Vision AVTR, which made its debut at the CES event in Las Vegas, and Avatar. With the second and third instalments in the sci-fi Hollywood franchise due out in 2021 and 2023 respectively, it would appear Mercedes has tied-up with the series with the Advanced Vehicle TRansformation (which is why it's the Mercedes-Benz AVTR, and not the Mercedes-Benz Avatar). The stretched 'one-bow' styling of this hyper-futuristic vehicle was designed with inspiration from the animals of Pandora, home of the Na'vi in the original Avatar, while biometric connections inside and 33 'bionic flaps' on the rear of the car means this 'shows a completely new interaction between human, machine and nature'. It's obviously an electric self-driving vehicle, the AVTR, and its battery is made from graphene-based organic cell chemistry, which is recyclable and doesn't require any rare earths and metals... such as unobtanium, for example. Inside is vegan-approved Dinamica man-made leather for the seats and Karuun (rattan) wood for the floor, while the front and rear axles can drive independently of each other and can even move the whole Mercedes sideways in a crab-like style, at up to 30 degrees. Ola Källenius, chairman of Mercedes-Benz AG, said: "The Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR is a visionary car that points far into the future. And a show car that is truly inspired by the fascinating world of AVATAR. The result highlights completely new ways of intuitively connecting humans and machines - without wooden sticks, plastic knobs or a steering wheel. The Vision AVTR also showcases new ways of moving people through the environment - sideways, like a crab, for instance. It takes sustainability to new levels through a fully recyclable battery, which is based on an organic cell chemistry and doesn't need materials like nickel or cobalt. The Vision AVTR is a show car and show cars are here to spark our imagination of what's possible, just like good science-fiction movies do."