Mercedes-Benz and Google have announced a long-term strategic partnership to jointly develop a new digital in-car experience for future Mercedes-Benz vehicles. A key highlight of the partnership is the development of a branded navigation system by Mercedes-Benz using new in-car data and navigation capabilities offered by the Google Maps Platform.
Leveraging this platform will allow the OEM to access Google’s geospatial offering – which includes detailed information on places, real-time and predictive information, automatic rerouting, and more. The partnership will also see Google integrate a native YouTube app into the upcoming Mercedes-Benz Operating System (MB.OS) that can be used when the vehicle is parked. Similarly, data from Google Maps will support a variety of new ADAS – such as automatic speed adjustments before intersections, roundabouts, or curves. In offering these features under one package, Mercedes-Benz is aiming to provide enhanced user experiences that build upon the usability and graphics offered in its high-resolution vehicle screens.
In the first step of its partnership with Google, Mercedes-Benz has launched a new navigation feature called Place Details as part of an OTA update for its vehicles equipped with the latest generation of MBUX (in applicable markets). The feature helps users access more detailed information on a variety of businesses and places – including their business hours, ratings, and reviews, and photos – through their vehicle’s navigation system.
As their work continues, Google and Mercedes-Benz will explore opportunities to deepen their collaboration through the AI, data, and open infrastructure capabilities of its Google Cloud platform. The automaker intends to, for example, utilize the platform’s AI and machine-learning capabilities to quickly create, train, and deploy new models while enhancing various customer experiences. It will likewise use Google Cloud’s data processing platform to analyze fleet data. In adopting Google’s open infrastructure, Mercedes-Benz plans to securely innovate and scale from on-premises, to edge, to cloud across its current technology landscape.
