Since the revolution brought by the infotainment of Tesla, the American manufacturer has often been imitated, but rarely equaled. With its brand new MBUX system, Mercedes could well make Tesla look old. But, at what cost?
Mercedes held a long presentation on February 22, 2023 in California, to present its upcoming hardware and software developments. Several noteworthy innovations were revealed at this conference. We will especially remember two elements: the new operating system MB.OS and its visible integration MBUX.
Mercedes wants to become the benchmark for luxury and technology. Future Mercedes will be full of gadgets to turn your car into an extension of your home or office. Some innovations are explicitly there to follow the trend imposed by Tesla a few years earlier – but it is guaranteed without “whoopee cushion”. There is a video streaming service (Zync), YouTube, TikTok, thousands of games, new musical experiences, videoconferencing…
New features available with the new E-Class
If there is ultimately nothing really new about offering a video and audio streaming service, Mercedes will do it with a little something extra each time. However, this will require taking all the equipment, which can offer these new experiences, as an option.
For audio, this notably involves a sound visualization experience. You can listen to the music, feel it (with the optional Burmester 4D surround sound system), but also see it. This “visualization” goes through a light strip, which will come alive according to the songs listened to to offer an even more immersive experience.
If your car is an extension of your office, Mercedes has you covered. With the Hyperscreen (MBUX) option, a video camera will be positioned at the dashboard level to facilitate your participation in video conferences on Webex or Zoom. However, this feature only works when stationary, until level 3 autonomous driving allows it in all situations.
Finally, if you take the optional screen on the passenger side, the Zync video streaming service can be used by your passenger, even while driving. This is a real plus compared to Tesla which has only one central screen. The driver cannot be distracted by the video broadcast, since the system incorporates visual protection that only makes the screen visible to the passenger. When stationary, streaming videos can of course be watched from the central screen.
The same goes for the whole range of other services, accessible via integrated compatible apps: TikTok, YouTube, Vivaldi, Zoom. This is also the case for games: Mercedes cited Angry Birds as an example, but no less than 500 mini games and 1,500 classic games will be accessible.
Many of these services are still subject to the options that allow you to take full advantage of them. These options will be available for purchase during vehicle configuration, or later as a monthly subscription for some. It will therefore not necessarily be new features present on all the vehicles of the brand.
“Hey Mercedes” becomes “Just Talk”
Until now, to give voice commands to your car, you had to use the key, “hey Mercedes”. The request was then to be completed with a request such as “I’m too cold, can you turn up the temperature?” “.
With the “Just Talk” function, it will no longer be necessary to call the car with these key words so that it listens to you. The car will be attentive to all requests that may be addressed to it. It is also a trend that we are beginning to observe on other forms of virtual assistants. This remains to be tested.
In the same spirit, an AI will be integrated into the car to memorize your preferences, in what Mercedes calls “routines”. The brand gives an example: activate the seat heating and set the ambient lighting to warm orange when the interior temperature is below twelve degrees Celsius “. One can easily imagine that the capabilities of AI will develop over time. The underlying idea is that the AI learns to recognize the habits of the person behind the wheel, to offer their usual settings and driving preferences.
No Android Automotive, but other Google services
Mercedes has chosen to develop its own OS, named “MB.OS”, on an open source Linux basis, rather than using Android automotive. It is a choice that surprises at first sight, since Mercedes however integrates the advanced services of Google Maps. Android Automotive, however, seems to appeal to other manufacturers such as Volvo or Renault. The German manufacturer claims to want to keep full control of the relationship with its customers, while protecting their privacy.
Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius put it this way: At Mercedes-Benz, we’re on a mission to build the world’s most desirable cars. As a result, we made the decision to be the architects of our own operating system — a unique chip-to-cloud architecture that leverages its full access to the hardware and software components of our vehicles. By combining this in-house expertise with a selection of world-class partners, we will create an exceptional customer experience, from driving assistance, navigation and entertainment, to integrated charging. The MB.OS operating system will be fully upgradeable and subject to constant improvements. »
Mercedes has nevertheless entered into an important partnership with Google, which will provide advanced cartography from Google Maps. The manufacturer will also add Google Places Details to its navigation in Mercedes vehicles, and this also applies to vehicles already produced (under certain conditions). Mercedes wants users to find all the detailed information of their destination directly from their navigation, as they would have access to it on their phone. In countries where Google is not dominant, such as China, Mercedes navigation will include the local leading service.
Mercedes has a lot of ambition for its new system. There will certainly be many other features to discover very quickly in the manufacturer’s cars. Mercedes has frankly taken the turn of the software, which will perfectly accompany its strategy of electrification of its range.
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