Cyberpunk 2077 Lore Vehicles

In 1993, Biotechnica developed CHOOH2, a synthetic alcohol that became the world's standard combustible fuel. CHOOH2 is made from genetically created high-sugar wheat, Triticum vulgaris megasuavis. In the 1990s, Biotechnica was a relatively small corporation that couldn't farm its wheat in quantities sufficient enough to make the new fuel profitable, so it licensed the rights for CHOOH2 to several petrochemical companies, most notably Petrochem Betterlife and SovOil.

Following the Fourth Corporate War, fuel shortages caused by the destruction of refinery infrastructure, and crop blight caused by bioengineered viruses grounded a significant percentage of advanced vehicles, in particular aerodynes. After years of research, Biotechnica developed a new strain of Triticum vulgaris megasuavis that was immune to the biovirus.

This provided impetus for aerodyne manufacturers to return to the market. Furthermore, a major breakthrough in electrically powered ground vehicles happened with the development of induction wheels. This novel tech amplified the charging rate of electric engines, making them almost completely self-powering.

In terms of security, most vehicles in Night City are accessed via chips called SID . Introduced by Arasaka as an identification chip for corporate workers, it quickly became the global security standard. A SID itself is a small circuit board mounted on the first metacarpal bone of the dominant hand.

The two most common car brands are Indian Mahir Motors and Japanese Makigai. While Makigai fills the niche for cheap, compact passenger cars, Mahir Motors focus on vans. Despite their pretentious naming convention based on words like Futrix, or Supron, their cars are surprisingly popular in Night City.

American manufacturer Thorton and Chinese manufacturer Archer are known for their midclass passenger cars. Those two companies competed for years, resulting in some astoundingly well-designed and robust models that are still sought after by Nomads for their durability.

The Japanese company Mizutani, focused on sport models. Villefort cars are popular among wealthier citizens and corporates. Villefort’s model names are derived from famous explorers and conquerors like Cortes or Alvarado. Their competitors drew attention to the fact that almost every one of those historical figures had committed atrocities.

That controversy only resulted in increased sales. Chevillon is known for their neo-militaristic style and their model names, inspired by the Roman empire. Their vehicles are widely used by NCPD and corporate security forces. Quadra, excels at designing and building muscle cars, like the Type-66 or their most iconic design, the Turbo-R.

Top-tier luxury cars are the domain of European manufacturers. Companies like Spain's Herrera and the UK’s Rayfield are known for their superb-quality sports cars and custom-made luxury limousines, designed with both comfort and speed in mind. Most models utilize bleeding-edge technologies such as CrystalDome, which projects an external view inside a fully enclosed windowless body, providing absolute protection and privacy for the passengers.

Rayfield diversified their offerings with the debut of their first luxury-model AV, the Excalibur. Yaiba specializes in sport bikes that are named after legendary weapons from Japanese mythology, such as the Yaiba Kusanagi. Brennan Cycles offers a more traditional approach, and are known for their cruisers and choppers.

Those types of bikes are more practical for longer trips between cities, given their durability. Military ground vehicles are dominated by rivals Militech and Arasaka. Both companies are leading manufacturers and exporters of tanks and APCs. Military AVs and drones fall under a separate category.