Tech chief says touchscreens will continue to get bigger and better in the firm’s cars
MARK TISSHAW
Mercedes models will offer more and even larger screens in their interiors over the coming years. Chief technology officer Markus Schäfer told Autocar at CES in Las Vegas that Mercedes is still “on a trajectory where you see even more screens in the car”, at a time when some competitors – most notably Volkswagen – are scaling back on ever-larger touchscreens in favour of a return to an increase in the provision of physical buttons.
Mercedes has introduced the so-called Hyperscreen into some of its electric models, including the Mercedes EQS, and this seamless, pillar-to-pillar screen is what Schäfer sees as being rolled out across more cars in the future.
“Mercedes will go to seamless screens from left to right. That’s the next evolution,” he said.
He described this screen as a “really stunning experience” and a huge development over the separate bonded screens behind glass. “I think this screen is a very essential part for us, at least for the next couple of years,” he said.
The firm will look to continue its use of OLED technology to ensure a high-quality display.
Schäfer doesn’t see any alternative to such screens, and while the firm has investigated offering augmented reality projection through the windscreen, he considers this to have “many downsides”.
He said: “That’s why our way is clearly working with high-quality screens. New technologies are coming up for a really seamless experience and we are going to be using gaming engine technology to make it even more attractive and create stunning visualisation for us to be really immersive.”
Mercedes was at CES to showcase a new AI-powered voice assistant that will be part of its next-generation MBUX infotainment system.
Designed to behave more like a human, it will be offered from 2025 on compact cars atop the new MMA platform – including the electric CLA – and is even capable of sarcasm.
ARE MORE AND BIGGER SCREENS REALLY WHAT DRIVERS WANT?
Touchy subject, this. Guffaw.
But seriously, it seems as though car makers, generally, are waking up to the notion that technology is not a byword for progress and that touchscreens and voice assistants are not a natural replacement fo
