FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a key interior component of its upcoming electric sedan: a large, curved screen that sweeps across the entire width of the car instead of a conventional dashboard.
The CEO of the company says it is not only a selling point for customers, but also indicates a potential source of new digital revenue.
The MBUX hyperscreen option available on the EQS sedan later this year uses artificial intelligence to learn which features drivers use most, such as navigation and hands-free calling, and keeps the features prominent on the screen so drivers don’t have to hunt not.
Ola Kallenius, CEO of parent company Daimler AG, said in a video presented online on Thursday that the system is meant to be very intuitive. “It just shows what’s needed: no scrolling, no scrolling,” he said.
“It makes it so intuitive that the thing you want to do, whether it’s navigation or music or whatever you want to do, that you can have it quickly, very intuitively at your fingertips. You do not have to scroll through many different layers, ”Kallenius said during a conference with reporters.
For example, if the driver uses the hot stone massage function during the winter, the system will suggest that the comfort function during cold weather. Or if the driver calls regularly on the way home, the system will suggest a call at the usual time.
The screen allows the passenger to watch television in the front seat in some markets, while the driver is prevented from watching the screen on the passenger to prevent distraction. If the passenger seat is not occupied, the part of the screen only switches to a decorative pattern. The most important features appear at the basic level of the screen so that the driver does not have to hunt for them, and the system also uses voice commands.
Kallenius said that during the development of the screen, the company focused on eliminating information and activities that may concern managers. “We wanted to reduce the driver’s distraction and make the car safe,” he said.
The system also provides an opportunity to record future digital revenue through subscription and streaming services available through the Hyperscreen option, such as a live traffic service. Kallenius said such services would be a ‘growing pool of revenue and profit in subscriptions’ and that the company aims to increase digital revenue to 20 billion euros before interest and tax by 2025.
Kallenius said the upcoming luxury EQS sedan will showcase the company’s efforts in digitization and electrification, two trends that are upsetting the industry. It is the first Mercedes car to be built on its all-electric frame rather than sharing components with a combustion model.
The EQS, the electric counterpart of the Mercedes-S-Class that is powered in the usual way, is one of four models that are powered by batteries, while German car manufacturers want to challenge the electric car manufacturer Tesla.