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FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a key interior feature of its upcoming electric luxury sedan: a large, curved screen that sweeps almost the entire width of the car in place of a conventional dashboard .
The CEO of the company says this is not only a selling point for customers, but also points to a potential source of new digital revenue.
The MBUX Hyperscreen option available on the upcoming EQS sedan later this year uses artificial intelligence to learn which functions drivers use the most, such as navigation and hands-free phone calls, and then keeps those functions in focus so that drivers don’t have to hunt.
Ola Kallenius, CEO of parent company Daimler AG, said in a recorded video shown online on Thursday that the system is intended to be very intuitive. “It only shows what is necessary: no scrolling, no navigation,” he said.
“It makes it so intuitive that whatever you want to do, whether it’s navigation, music or whatever you want to do, you have it very quickly, very intuitively, at your fingertips. You don’t have to scroll through many different layers, ”Kallenius said on a conference call with reporters.
For example, if the driver often uses the hot stone massage function in winter, the system will suggest this comfort function in cold weather. Or, if the driver calls regularly on the way home, the system will offer a call at the usual time.
The screen also allows the front passenger to watch TV in some markets, while preventing the driver from looking at the passenger screen to avoid distraction. The most essential functions are displayed at the base level of the screen so that the driver does not have to search for them.
Kallenius said that when developing the display, the company focused on eliminating information and activities that might be of concern to drivers. “We wanted to reduce driver distraction and make the car safe,” he said.
The system also provides the ability to capture future digital revenues through subscription and streaming services available through the Hyperscreen option, such as a live traffic service. Kallenius said these services will constitute “a growing pool of revenue and profit in the form of subscriptions” and that the company aims to increase its digital revenue to $ 1 billion before interest and taxes by 2025.
Kallenius said the upcoming EQS luxury sedan will showcase the company’s efforts in digitization and electrification, two trends that are shaking up the industry. It is the first Mercedes car built on its fully electric chassis rather than sharing components with an internal combustion model.
The EQS, the electric counterpart to Mercedes’ conventionally-powered S-Class, is one of four battery-powered models coming this year as German automakers seek to challenge electric carmaker Tesla.
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