All are intended to bolster the stated Mercedes-Benz desire to remain a preeminent luxury brand. Moreover, both are advanced aspects – or aspirations – of what the auto industry and its products are heading toward: a software defined vehicle and user experience, as well as the comprehensive use of data collection and artificial intelligence that will enable autonomous vehicles, along with ongoing software over-the air updates for entertainment feeds, traffic alerts, subscription services, EV charging availability and range, among other aspects of a connected car from a connected car company and its connected dealers and other connected vendors.

Such a smart trek, so to speak, can’t ventured solo. MB is working with Google Cloud’s AI (artificial intelligence) and Machine Learning capabilities to embed it features and maps. There are more collaborative ventures with key tech players in hardware and software as well – – in an ambitious exploration of the luxury universe. Such a cosmos comes with region-specific content spanning music, video, gaming delivered on a full-width interior screen with immersive sound and voice control activation.

This forthcoming universe is also populated with autonomous machines and functions. Mercedes-Benz is planning enhanced SAE Level 2 autonomous driving tailored to urban use cases, and offering SAE Level 3 ultimately at speeds of up to 130 km/h; all powered by the NVIDIA DRIVE platform and machine learning.

Key here is that MB.OS will be designed and developed in-house to retain control over the customer relationship, ensure data privacy, and to leverage the unique integration of all car functions, Mercedes claimed. Mercedes-Benz also plans to build its own branded navigation using new in-car geospatial data and navigation capabilities from the Google Maps Platform.

At the same time in Stuttgart, Mercedes released details of the new E-Class with a new electronic architecture that allows a “comprehensive user experience” using fast data transfer speeds with 5G technology, and myriad new, intelligent functions in interior systems. The entertainment program in the E-Class is more interactive than ever. There is a new compatibility layer that allows the installation of third-party apps4. The following apps are available on the central display at launch of the E-Class5: TikTok, the game Angry Birds, the collaboration app Webex, the video conferencing app Zoom and the web browser Vivaldi. In addition, the optional ZYNC entertainment portal6 offers video streaming, on-demand content, interactive experiences, sports, news, games and much more on the central and passenger displays, via one user interface.