However, Mercedes has taken the trend to a whole new level.
Its new MBUX Hyperscreen covers almost the entire dashboard for the driver and passenger. It cannot even be measured diagonally because it is not a rectangle. It’s bent. Holes allow vents to pass through. MBUX, which stands for Mercedes-Benz User Experience, is Mercedes’ name for the touchscreen software in its cars.
All that glass is actually not a single interactive screen. There are three separate screens behind the large, dark glass that give the appearance of one large screen. One of the screens acts as the driver’s instrument panel, one is in its usual central location within easy reach of both the passenger and the driver, and there is another for the passenger seat.
The passenger seat screen allows the occupant to select their own entertainment functions and, in countries where it is legal, watch videos with Bluetooth headphones. When there is no one in the front passenger seat, that screen shows decorative designs.
The new screen system will be available on the Mercedes EQS, a large electric luxury sedan expected to be unveiled later this year.
Rear seat passengers in the EQS will also have their own screens, and occupants can “swipe” content from one screen to another with a finger.
In addition to the screen itself, Mercedes said the car will have an artificial intelligence entertainment system to predict the needs and preferences of drivers and passengers. For example, if a driver usually requests a “Hot Stone Massage” function from the massage seats in the afternoon on cold days, that option will be presented to the driver as soon as they get into the car. Other options, such as destination, music choices, and various vehicle settings, also change automatically based on things like local time, location, and temperature.
Besides selling cars with larger screens, Mercedes also expects to make money – more than $ 1 billion a year by 2025 – with software and data plans for apps that will run on the screen, said Öla Källenius, chairman of Mercedes-Benz and its parent company. , Daimler.
Mercedes has conducted crash tests with the screen to make sure it is safe, Källenius said.
In the event of a crash, the glass plate is designed with specific breaking points so that it does not shatter dangerously. Brackets that keep it on the dash are also designed to break free in a hard impact.