We’re used to seeing concept cars being unveiled on stage in front of crowds of onlookers.
After they’ve outlived their useful life, they’re typically stored internally by the manufacturer.
Occasionally, though, these projects get thrown out, which is what appears to have happened to this Mercedes concept.
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What you’re looking at above is Mercedes’ ‘S-Class Digital: ‘My MBUX” concept, which was revealed in August 2020.
It’s not a concept car as such – it’s a funny-looking pod that was created to give people a taste of the technology going into the German automaker’s vehicles like the EQS.
As for how and why it ended up abandoned in a scrapyard, though – who knows – but the pictures are interesting nevertheless.
Images of the Mercedes pod recently surfaced in the r/justrolledintothework shop subreddit.
And the WALL-E-esque pod, languishing next to a bunch of discarded metal tubes, certainly caught people’s attention.
The photos, snapped by Noah Mansico, were apparently taken just outside of Atlanta, where Mercedes-Benz has its North American headquarters.
Although the backstory remains a mystery, the likeliness is that that pod was kept at the HQ until it’d outlived its useful purpose, and was then simply discarded.
As much as we’d like to think of automakers selling off their functional concepts or even donating them when they’re done with them, that simply doesn’t happen.
Why? Due to legal concerns, that’s why many get this sort of treatment.
While the pod has been striped of all its Mercedes branding, including the entire steering wheel, that hasn’t stopped internet sleuths from identifying it.
Inside the pod are sculptural seats, a massive touchscreen, and several other components very similar to those found in higher-end models like the S-Class.
A bit of digging around online unearthed a press release from the time detailing the project’s hundreds of LEDs, heated and cooled massage seats, and a powerful air filtration system equipped with a perfume dispenser.
The harsh reality is, though – it’s highly likely many of these features are no longer functional.
While it’s sad to see a once-important bit of kit left to wreck and ruin, it’s some consolation knowing the technology the concept previewed lives on.
And, as time goes on, people are only going to get confused by what it actually is – that’s if it doesn’t get crushed in the meantime.
