Houses, pedal bikes and bratwursts – all things you would perhaps never expect from a car manufacturer, but each are genuine products that are (more or less) made by the same hands that built your car.
The most notable of these is Volkswagen’s sausages. The German carmaker produces around 6 million cars globally each year, but almost 7 million sausages. Some going. But it’s not just VW doing a bit on the side – Toyota’s given housing a go, while Citroen dabbles in transport of the 2-wheeled kind.
So, it got us wondering, what else could car manufacturers try their hand at? Considering the increasing car-tech crossover, not least through Apple’s self-driving vehicle that’s expected in the next 5 years or so, an electronic device is the clear choice.
We’ve imagined 3 smartwatch designs from 3 prominent, but vastly different brands. A BMW burger build came close, though.
A Tesla watch's well within the realms of possibility
As one of the most tech-laden manufacturers on the market, a Tesla smartwatch seems the sort of thing that Elon Musk would come up with next. The latest models, for example, come with an infotainment system boasting the same power as a next-gen games console.
Our watch, which we’ve named the Model W, is a cleanly designed piece with subtle nods to the Californian brand and full vehicle connectivity. Wearers can link the watch to their Tesla and remotely set the cabin temperature and check charging status. We also imagine it’d mark your parking spot, avoiding any car park confusion when we’re all driving Teslas in the future.
All info is shown on a tall portrait screen, larger than Apple’s equivalent, with a fine mesh strap and clasps inspired by Tesla’s T logo.
Rev-on-demand functionality for the Lamborghini watch
At the other end of the scale is our Lamborghini Chrono smartwatch. Where Tesla’s design is focused on simplicity and ease of use, typical of the manufacturer, Lambo’s is all about flair.
The appearance's striking, with a seatbelt-style strap and Italian flag stitching either side a shell inspired by the Aventador’s frontend. A carbon fibre bezel caps off the hypercar aesthetics.
On the functionality front, the Chrono features a time-telling format pulled straight from the Huracan’s rising sun rev counter. If jumping out of a £100k-plus motor with one of these on your wrist doesn’t garner attention, its party trick will – the Wireless Ignition and Remote Rev functions allow you to start the engine from a distance and let all 12 cylinders sing.
More practical is the lap time tracking, a verified format for showcasing your best attempts around Europe’s most prominent circuits. For those that don’t just drive their Lamborghini around Chelsea in second gear, that is.
James Bond’s next timepiece?
Sticking to Aston Martin’s Norse naming – i.e. the Valkyrie and Valhalla, which features in James Bond’s upcoming No Time to Die outing – we’ve coined the Vanaheim smartwatch. Unlike our other concepts, this makes use of a more traditional design, with a stainless steel bezel and old-school controls to the side of the face.
The strap's a nod to the upholstery of Casino Royale’s Aston Martin DBS, with a Cumberland Grey stitching – one of the British brand’s slicker shades. The watch face itself's uncluttered, with a backing inspired by the DB5’s alloys and hands styled on the Superleggera’s rear LEDs.
It’s not just all show, though. The Vanaheim’s most notable feature is Remote Recall, a truly Bond-spec function that automates your Aston Martin and brings it to your location. We expect the Passenger Eject option's less practical for the average driver.
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