Here’s how Mercedes hopes its new OS will give it an advantage
Enlarge / The new E-Class' dashboard can be ordered with the Superscreen. Smaller screens will also be available. (credit: Mercedes-Benz)
Software is hard. Automakers have been delving into zeros and ones with various levels of success for decades. For every (excellent) Mercedes MBUX Hyperscreen, there's a Volkswagen ICAS infotainment system that even the automaker admitted-out of the gate-was a disappointment.
Mercedes has so far hit on a winning strategy with its MBUX infotainment system and, more importantly, its adoption of a robust voice assistant. Yet, everything needs an upgrade, and the German automaker is giving not just MBUX a bit of a boost but also laying out a software roadmap that gives the automaker an impressive amount of control over its vehicles.
First, we'll get a next-generation 2024 E-Class that will ship with an updated version of MBUX called MBUX Entertainment Plus, because everything is a plus these days. Mercedes says the system will have quicker hardware and a faster 5G network connection.