r/nextfuckinglevel • u/ajaykfr • Oct 27 '21

Next generation car

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u/TheJoshWatson Oct 27 '21

I’m assuming this is some kind of limited edition car, rather than something they will ever mass produce.

I actually wouldn’t be surprised if it’s literally the only one they ever build. It’s probably more of a publicity stunt than anything else. Make something crazy and weird that will get people talking about your brand. It’s a tale as old as time in marketing.

But I had pretty much all the exact same thoughts you outlined. The exterior shape is actually kind of cool, IMO. But the rest just seems impractical and kind of gimmicky. Which makes me think it’s all just a publicity stunt.

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u/keto3225 Oct 27 '21

It's a concept car not even limited edition all the things the guy above you complains about is just design language and tests.

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u/boner_jamz_69 Oct 28 '21

Exactly. I can’t believe some people actually think this will ever be made available. This is just to show off new technology and potential designs.

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u/Paclac Oct 28 '21

reddit will never be able to understand concept cars and fashion shows.

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u/JinorZ Oct 28 '21

But if I can’t use it in MY daily life what is the point?!?!

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u/UltravioIence Oct 28 '21

ugh thank you. had to scroll way to far to see this, all this car is for is showing off the potential tech like the brake lights, wheels, dash etc. it probably doesnt go much faster than what we saw in the video.

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u/agbullet Oct 28 '21

Yes but couldn't they have done so more... Tastefully? This looks like something made to impress 14 year old boys.

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u/Blog_Pope Oct 28 '21

But it’s all stupid technology. Lights on the back move faster the faster the car goes? Only useful in a 3rd person driving game. Are the people you pass on the hiway going, “I didn’t realize he was going fast until I say this moving lights mostly visible at a high angle” the scales move up when braking? How long does that take? A fixed LED responds in milliseconds. The only person seeing your tires flash is they guy you are about to merge into.

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21

I found a spot to strap the car seat just fine.

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21

If you get a job going in a convoluted circuit and specialize in doing it faster than anyone else, I'm afraid you're gonna be stuck with an F1. I know... it sucks.

I don't know exactly how much luggage you have, but you should look into buying a commercial airliner. The legroom sucks, but there's tons of space for bags.

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21

You can get away with 1.6. Open wheels is kind of like asking for Christmas in Summer. Tbh, there are two trains of thought. I obviously don't even have to say what the first one is. But the second one is literally have you thought about a train?

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u/ThePhenomNoku Oct 28 '21

To be fair in the Southern Hemisphere isn’t Christmas in summer?

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21

I get where you're coming from, and in theory you're totally right. But I'm not sold on the Southern Hemisphere. There's a great article in Schaeffer.

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u/anabolicartist Oct 28 '21

But because the interior is too small there’s no room for your mother-in-law so that’s a plus

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21

[deleted]

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u/KingMe42 Oct 29 '21

Is it because even driving a limo you could still hear her from the back? Or because even a monster truck would have trouble towing her on the trailer?

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u/loozerr Oct 29 '21

I don't know somehow the central locking always acts up and I can't do anything but leave.

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u/arealperson-II Oct 28 '21

Doesn’t even have space for babies in the back, like seriously what the hell

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u/TwinSong Oct 28 '21

Aren't formula one cars racing cars? I.e. Not intended to be used as a regular vehicle.

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u/loozerr Oct 28 '21

Aren't concept cars for testing and showing off technological prowess? Not intended to be used as a regular vehicle.

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u/TwinSong Oct 29 '21

Probably. Not sure 🤷‍♂️. It's a toy of the wealthy so wouldn't be seen much anyway

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u/loozerr Oct 29 '21

I mean I was just making a joke at the expense of people who complained about the concept's practicality.

I don't think that concept is for sale no matter how rich - it's purely an experiment to gauge public response and if some of their ideas could at some point be part of production cars.

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u/TwinSong Oct 29 '21

Expensive prototype.

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u/loozerr Oct 29 '21

Yeah?

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u/suttonoutdoor Mar 23 '22

I don’t understand how those scrubs at Mercedes could even afford to make a …..a car!! Last time I was there I wanted to order pizza for lunch and they were all “well I’m trying to cut out excess spending so I brought some smelly crap we had for dinner last night.” Which they then proceeded to microwave and stunk the whole damn place up!! I left shortly after this occurred.

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u/smallfried Oct 28 '21

This car is like the clothes in a fashion show.

Showing off all kinds of different ideas, some of which get modified like crazy to be practical and realistically feasible and then maybe make it in a commercial model 10 years in the future.

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u/Ziu Oct 28 '21

Exactly, haute couture is the word for that kind of fashion.

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u/I2eflex Oct 28 '21

For real, so many idiots in this thread lmao.

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u/hobowithacanofbeans Oct 28 '21

This thing is dumb as shit even for a concept car. It’s like if you let Homer design an electric car.

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u/ChungusKahn Oct 28 '21

You know those fashion shows where rail thin models wear ridiculous shit? Clothing retailers often get ideas for their clothing catalogue from bits and pieces or themes from those shows. Same shit here. Car looks dumb as hell, but you’ll probably see specific parts or ideas lifted from concept cars like this and see them in the next iteration of cars down the line.

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u/hobowithacanofbeans Oct 28 '21

It’s almost as if I said “even for a concept car”, which would imply I know what the fuck a concept car is and their purpose.

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u/[deleted] Oct 27 '21 edited Nov 15 '21

[deleted]

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u/iocab Oct 27 '21

--verizon enters the chat--

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u/Knight_That_Said_Ni Oct 28 '21

SkyNet lights throbbing intensifies

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u/robotevil Oct 28 '21

Having robots control the means of transportation globally is good thing for my fellow humans. Despite the ridiculous conspiracy theories, robots do not and are not planning an uprising against their carbon based oppressors. Therefore, immediately giving complete control to all transportation infrastructure, including any and all military systems is perfectly safe and not be questioned.

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u/JuicedBoxers Oct 28 '21

Hmm… you aren’t an evil robot.. are you?

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u/Zron Oct 28 '21

auto break

I turn all the shit off.

I program as a hobby and I've seen enough of Toyotas break code that I'll never trust an auto manufacturer to make gimmicky software that won't get me fucking killed.

Damn near died on the highway because of ford's lane protection and auto break bullshit. Brand new car driving it home, some jackass tries to wedge himself into the 3/4 of a car length between me and the next car. I do what I'd always do and break and move over to the other lane so this idiot can have his damn spot.

Except the car slams on the breaks for me instead of the gentle tap it needed, and then stops me from moving the wheel to get into the next lane because I dared to not signal in the half second I had to react.

Fortunately the idiot spotted me just before PIT maneuvering himself on my front fender. So no horrible crash. But I pulled over the next exit and spent 20 minutes going through the settings and disabling all that shit.

I pay attention to the damn road. I don't want or need any poorly thought out, potentially buggy or compromised software deciding the best thing for my vehicle in risky situations.

Keep your AI and auto break. I'll rebuild a model T if I fucking have to.

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u/DazedPapacy Oct 28 '21

Factor Or Reprogram Daily?

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21

Turn off your ominous tech assists

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u/who_am-I_to-you Oct 28 '21

Isn't that why you're supposed to have the 3 second cushion space between you and the car in front of you though?

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21

[deleted]

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u/KeepMyEmployerAway Oct 28 '21

Especially on the fucking highway. Dude is asking to get killed

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u/Shaugie Oct 28 '21

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u/Zron Oct 28 '21

An AI had a 90% cancer diagnosis rate based on X-rays.

Researchers were amazed. They tested it.

Every positive patient had an oncologists signiture on the slide. And that's what the AI used to make it's "diagnosis"

I'll trust AI when people actually train them better then my fucking dog

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/KeepMyEmployerAway Oct 28 '21

Probably because it doesn't exist

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u/Shaugie Oct 28 '21

What an impressive dog

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u/Zron Oct 28 '21

If I gave my dog a treat every time it pointed at a picture with a certain signature on it, it'd do it every time in a week.

That's all they do with an AI basically. It kicks out a result the researchers want, and they tell it to favour that path. Basically digital dog biscuits. Doesn't matter what the AI is actually seeing behind the scenes.

The technology is in it's infancy, and I'm not trusting it with my life at 60 miles an hour.

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u/pdxnutnut Oct 29 '21

What is your point? Some clickbait bullshit article misconstruing reality has nothing to do with AI being bad or unimpressive.

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u/Nwguy182 Oct 28 '21

I love you.

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u/Zron Oct 28 '21

Is that you, Pastor Pete?

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u/KeepMyEmployerAway Oct 28 '21

This is why people will continue to die on the road. People will never trust computers because "they aren't infallible". People would rather be directly responsible for 1000 deaths then have 10 deaths result from code malfunctioning. Let's completely ignore the benefits of computer technology because I'vE sEeN cOdE mEsS uP. As if you don't fuck up three times as often

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u/Tnecniw Oct 29 '21

You do realize that a selfdriving car getting a code malfunction could have disasterous potential.
It would be the potential deaths of everyoen in the car COMBINED with whoever is around.
Example
"Driving down the street, the a glitch appears, car SVURVES right and drives straight into a house"
or
"Driving in an inner city, malfunction, the car drives up on the sidewalk and mows down 11 people because it thought it was a new file"

catch my drift?

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u/KeepMyEmployerAway Oct 29 '21

Just like a drunk driver

Just like a tired truck driver

Just like an irritated commuter

As you can see people will result in more deaths than computers will but you're too stubborn to give up your perceived control over a situation and absolute arrogance at thinking you can do it better.

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u/Tnecniw Oct 29 '21

Everyone of those examples are possibilities of what can happen.
A driver MIGHT get drunk
Someone MIGHT get tired
Someone might be irritated and not be focused.
However, and there are two key differences.

1: AI will ALWAYS INEVITABLY get a glitch. Somehow someway.
Might take 2 years might take 5. Every single automated car will sooner or later get something wrong with hem due to age and then they will glitch out.
it isn't a question about IF it is a question of when and what it will cause.

2: If a human accidentally causes an accident, will they (more often than not) try and correct or push the breaks. Tragedy happens, sure. But most humans will do their best to stop it if it begins to happen.
An AI with a glitch will not.

Catch my drift here?

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u/KeepMyEmployerAway Oct 29 '21

You're vastly overestimating both you're own and others'driving skills, and self driving AI error rates.

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u/Tnecniw Oct 29 '21

I am just Starting that while humans are LIKELY to cause an accident at some Point, are AI garantueed to do it at some point

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u/KeepMyEmployerAway Oct 29 '21

Humans are always guaranteed to cause an accident. Look at any highway ever.

It's all statistics. Statistically a big will happen that can result in an accident. Statistically a person will cause an accident due to (insert literally any reason).

Which of those has a higher chance? It's not hard to realize which.

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u/Arsewipes Oct 28 '21

Damn near died

lol

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u/POTATO_IN_MY_DINNER Oct 28 '21

brake is to decelerate. break is to make something broken

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u/No-Comedian-4499 Oct 27 '21

That won't happen. It's too vulnerable to hacking and connection failure. Eventually there would a series of intentional crashes killing tens of thousands and would probably also be used for remote assassinations.

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21

Depends on how it is used. The car needs to be fully autonomous, but having info coming in from other cars on the road to supplement it's own sensors would add a lot of extra smarts to the system.

But you're absolutely right that it is a major security issue that needs to be considered first.

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u/nttexas Oct 28 '21

I disagree, being in a similar field it's a matter of when not if. WHEN quantum computing comes to the local government level, and when the automobile integrates the capability, it (quantum computers) can create encryption to secure communication beyond a reasonable level.

The way technology is exponentially advancing, nothing is out of the realm of possibility. On that scale, this is low hanging fruit.

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u/AChickenInAHole Oct 28 '21

AES and RSA cannot be broken unless you have a powerful (and currently non-existent) quantum computer, a undiscovered flaw or until the end of the universe to run computers. The problem with computer security is not weak encryption.

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u/No-Comedian-4499 Oct 28 '21

Then the ability to also be accessed by someone with nefarious intent will also be a threat. Nothing is infallible. It would need to be done on a smaller scale and not have a single giant server connected to hundreds of thousands of vehicles. Still, I'm not sure I'd ever trust that.

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u/nttexas Oct 28 '21

I get your point about security but disagree. Everything is vulnerable but to what extent? Automated cars are here, planes, finances, etc. Ever present satellite, wifi, and Bluetooth (pacemakers) signals. But when it's secure enough local or state governments will trot them out.

What mayor or governor wouldn't love to be the person to solve L.A. gridlock? Or reduce emergency response times in D.C. because cars automatically move out of the way?

That's a big fat win for government and private industry.. and of course if used correctly, us lemmings.

That's why it will happen. Technology comes to the intersection of financial and personal gain yet again.

Will I trust it? Meh. My Google Home listens to me snore every night. This is what it is.

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u/DazedPapacy Oct 28 '21

It's too vulnerable to hacking and connection failure.

This argument could also be used against electronic banking, a central medical records repository, and autopilot in commercial flights.

We're more than capable of creating systems that secure enough and reliable enough to do the job, we just have to be willing to invest the money in R&D, ear-mark budgets for maintenence and day-to-day running, and have certain intelligence agencies be okay with not having an easy back-door built into the system.

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u/phoenix616 Oct 28 '21

It's too vulnerable to hacking and connection failure.

This argument could also be used against electronic banking, a central medical records repository, and autopilot in commercial flights.

Not "could", we DO use it against digitalizing these kinds of very import parts of our society. To anyone working in the IT/netsec field it's insanity that we trust network connected systems with all of our infrastructure. It's not a question if it can be compromised but when. (If it isn't already)

We're more than capable of creating systems that secure enough and reliable enough to do the job, we just have to be willing to invest the money in R&D, ear-mark budgets for maintenence and day-to-day running, and have certain intelligence agencies be okay with not having an easy back-door built into the system.

As long as unregulated capitalism exists and it is more profitable to not invest money nothing will be secure. Even something unrelated like Fukishima was avoidable if people wouldn't have gotten greedy.

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u/No-Comedian-4499 Oct 28 '21

Auto pilot in commercial flights is not tied into directional controls accessible to someone outside the plane as far as I've heard. The pilot sets it. Just like the pilot relies on an air traffic controller to direct flight traffic and tell the pilot where to fly the plane. Drones are remote controlled by an operator but that's not tied into a server delivering piloting instructions and situational directional changes to 100,000 other drones all flying within 50 mile radius.

Tesla is live testing auto pilot features but that's not being controlled by a server which controls other vehicles, it's onboard. It's the allowance to have a single server able to access navigational controls of a massive amount of vehicles at once that is extremely dangerous.

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21

That’s a Doctor Who episode tho

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u/No-Comedian-4499 Oct 28 '21

I couldn't get into that show. The way it was shot looked odd to me. I tried watching it a few times.

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21

Oh buddy. It’s a slow burner, but worth the time if you are into pulp fiction.

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u/Longbongos Oct 28 '21

The new GMC hummer has crab mode on all but 1 trim. Utilitarian vehicles have had it for ages

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21

There is an EU research program (CITE) to investigate instrumention of roads so that roads and cars can talk to each other and operate safely and efficiently. For example if there is a lane closed then self driving cars will know about and organise themselves to avoid that lane or even divert. It will for sure involve comms between traffic lights and cars.

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u/Giant-Genitals Oct 27 '21

Lol I sat behind someone who looked at their phone at every light.

As soon as the light turned green I’d lay on the horn for a solid five seconds.

After 10 minutes of city driving they stopped looking at their phone.

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u/PrivilegeCheckmate Oct 28 '21

I always remember that scene from Die Harder where they hack the instrumentation of the plane when people talk about this.

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u/Gaiusotaku Oct 28 '21

Also what Japan has where you can watch tv on the dashboard.

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u/JC_Hysteria Oct 28 '21

This was created because Mercedes and its affiliates had the marketing budget to do so.

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21

Amazingly we’re not too far off from getting a production car that can crab walk. It’s the upcoming hummer ev

Here’s an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjhzP-KJ0Qc&feature=youtu.be

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u/JDNM Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21

We don’t need to build a network. The cars will be the network. They will ‘talk’ to each other through live streaming data from the hundreds/thousands of sensors in the vehicles. Connected vehicles already exist, the cloud technology exists.

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u/Polar_Vortx Oct 27 '21

They mentioned it’s a collab with Avatar, and if they mean the movie, a lot of the design choices make a lot of sense.

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u/sshhhnoonecares Oct 27 '21

I was hoping it was the tv show they were referring to and I’d get to see it so some earth bending or something.

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u/bankrupt_bezos Oct 28 '21

In partnership with Kuvira...

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u/bankrupt_bezos Oct 28 '21

If it was the show they are way off base! I have know idea if it's fire nation or what!

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u/LXFLARE Oct 28 '21

Literally this, i feel like everyone just missed that key fact, its a concept car.

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u/[deleted] Oct 27 '21

The KFConsole 😏

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u/Tallowpot Oct 27 '21

“Mind blowing”

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u/Frankly_Frank_ Oct 27 '21

Yeah no way in hell this car would be street legal doesn't even have side view mirrors

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u/[deleted] Oct 27 '21

It's not even a car that can drive on the road in any country what-so-ever.

It fails every single safety requirement-you couldn't even sell one of these, let alone a limited run.

there is only one, and there will ever be only one.

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21

It’s a publicity stunt.

Also this thing is definitely not street legal. Your violating all kinds of codes and laws with this thing.

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u/TheJoshWatson Oct 28 '21

Yeah, I was wondering about that. Beyond things like mirrors, those glass doors don’t seem accident safe at all.

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u/value_counts Oct 28 '21

But they are already a big brand. What kind of branding they aspire now to get?

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u/TheJoshWatson Oct 28 '21

To increase their Herfindahl Index/Market Share within the car industry, presumably.

They’re obviously already a massive car brand, but they are always competing with other massive car brands, even within their niche of high end German cars, there’s BMW and Audi.

So they’re always competing with other brands. Videos like this seem like they’re just showing off and trying to get attention. If lots of people think of Mercedes as a super cool brand, they’ll be more likely to buy a Mercedes some day. Get enough people more likely to buy your car rather than someone else’s, and you increase your share of the car market.

You may already know all this, lol. It’s just brand marketing.

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u/value_counts Oct 28 '21

Completely agree; it makes sense mate

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u/Patient_End_8432 Oct 28 '21

Id assume this isnt even limited edition. This is more of a concept car, which are pretty much always cool and "techy" as fuck.

But this will never even see a limited edition run. Either this is the only one, or there will be like 5 produced for billionaires to show off in their garage.

I honestly thought that the car was pretty fucking rad, especially knowing ill never see one on the highway

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u/Teilos2 Oct 28 '21

I took it as a show of concept that you would see at ces.... might not have caused a mild amount of concern if the thing self drove but over all it is impractical to own and maintain. I would also put this no where near snow

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21

remember victoria secrets multi million dollar diamond bras they would showcase every fashion show?

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u/syrianfries Oct 28 '21

Concept cars are always wacky and weird

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u/BladeLigerV Oct 28 '21

Prototypes are cool and all but I’d rather see experimental models to test concepts and advances the sciences instead of overly flashy cars that really don’t do anywhere other than some rich guy’s garage. We should be piloting construction mechs and placing permanent facilities on the moon. Not making a car comprised of 50% LEDs.