Well, what do we have here? One lucky Redditor, 1ducksonquack, found what looks like an alien space pod in the back of an Atlanta, Georgia recycling plant. However, it isn’t an alien space pod. It’s an abandoned Mercedes concept egg … thing that was built to showcase the brand’s new interior technology. The only questions that remain are: who’s gonna rescue it and what are they going to do with it?
The egg’s real name is the “Mercedes MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) seat exhibit” and it was developed back in 2020 to show off the then-upcoming S-Class‘ new interior. But because Mercedes hadn’t revealed the S-Class at that point, it built the egg to allow people some seat time with without spoiling the car’s design.
How did the MBUX egg wind up abandoned in a recycling plant in Atlanta? Mercedes likely has no other use for a technical showcase for technology that’s already released, in a car that’s already on sale, so it was seemingly scrapped. The reason it’s in Atlanta is because Mercedes’ U.S. headquarters is just outside of Atlanta.
Hopefully, someone will rescue this concept pod because the possibilities are endless. It isn’t a car, so it lacks a powertrain, wheels, and even a steering wheel. Which means you can turn it into so many things. Bring it inside and make it a racing sim rig, with screens, pedals, and a steering wheel inside. Or just make it a private little gaming or movie pod. If gaming or movies aren’t your thing, you can just use it as a cozy, quiet nap pod so you can sleep in peace without family members pestering you.
You could also leave it outside and it can become a little outdoor home office. It seems to be weatherproof, considering it’s been left outside and doesn’t show any real signs of interior damage. Surprisingly, the black leather and dashboard don’t seem faded, especially since it probably bakes in the sun thanks to its vast glass greenhouse.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you could wall off the back seats from the fronts, stuff an engine back there, add some wheels, and turn it into a hilarious-looking go-kart. That probably isn’t safe but it would be fun, right up until it wasn’t.
I don’t live in Atlanta but if I did I’d very much consider buying this egg and saving it. I’m not sure who I’d buy it from or how much it would cost but it’s such a weird, fun little part of Mercedes’ recent history and there are so many cool things I could do with it. Alas, I don’t live in Atlanta so someone else will have to be irresponsible for me. So who’s courageous enough to buy this thing and what are you going to do with it?
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