Automakers build concept cars all the time to show off technology or preview future models. Once they’ve outlived their useful life they’re typically stored by the company internally. Sometimes these projects just get thrown out, though, which is what appears to have happened to the Mercedes’ “S-Classic Digital ‘My MBUX'” concept, revealed in August of 2020. It’s not really a car, but more of a funny-looking pod meant to give people a taste of the technology going into vehicles like the EQS. It was seemingly disabled and abandoned in a scrapyard just like any other car, though, which has provided us with some extremely unusual photos.
Images of the pod were recently posted to the r/justrolledintotheshop subreddit. The visuals of something that looks more like Wall-E’s girlfriend EVE as opposed to an actual car languishing next to a bunch of discarded metal tubes caught people’s attention, to say the least. Noah Mansico, who took the photos, says they were taken outside of Atlanta, where Mercedes-Benz has its North American headquarters. It’s likely that it was kept there until it outlived its useful purpose, and was simply discarded. Automakers don’t just sell or donate their functional concepts once they’re done with them due to legal concerns, which is why many get this sort of treatment.
The concept has been stripped of all its Mercedes branding—including the entire steering wheel—but as such a unique object it was reasonably easy for internet sleuths to identify. It features sculptural seats, a massive touchscreen, and other components very similar to those that were eventually found on higher-end models from the German automaker like the S-Class and EQS. A press release from the time details the project’s hundreds of LEDs, heated and cooled massage seats, and a powerful air filtration system equipped with a perfume dispenser. Unfortunately, it’s likely many of these features are no longer functional on the disposed pod.
It’s a shame that such an interesting project was simply disposed of in a field somewhere outside of Atlanta, but keep in mind that many fully functional Mercedes got pretty much the exact same interior and technology. So while seeing EVE in sleep mode with no rescue from a cube-shaped robot with binoculars for eyes may seem a little depressing, the technology the concept previewed lives on. As time passes, people are going get more and more confused by what this thing is, assuming it doesn’t get crushed soon.
Image Credit: Noah Manisco
