Mercedes-Benz is forging ahead with the rollout of increasingly large in-car screens, despite admitting big screens alone don’t make a vehicle’s interior luxurious.
Speaking to US outlet ABC News, Mercedes-Benz chief design officer Gorden Wagener said other elements are becoming a key focus for the German brand, given just how ubiquitous large infotainment touchscreens and digital instrument clusters have become.
“Screens are not luxury,” Mr Wagener said.
“You have a better – and bigger – TV at home, right? And every car has a big screen. So we have to create luxury beyond the screen.
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“That’s why I talk about craftsmanship and sophistication. There’s so much emphasis on making [Mercedes-Benz] vehicles better.”
At present, Mercedes-Benz offers a 56-inch ‘Hyperscreen’ in electric models like the EQS and EQS SUV, consisting of a single panel which incorporates a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 17.7-inch infotainment screen and a 12.3-inch passenger screen.
The Hyperscreen is expected to roll out into future models when new generations arrive in the coming years.
According to Mr Wagener the system works well but lacks functionality, something Mercedes-Benz is looking to improve with an expanded selection of Hyperscreen-specific content.
“We don’t have the Hyperscreen in all the cars right now, just in a few. From the hardware side it’s very good,” he said.
“From the software side it hasn’t been that good. Because when you have a big screen, you want to have great content on it. So we’re working on content that is more specific and more entertaining.”
Last month, Mercedes-Benz announced models running its latest MBUX system will feature Sony’s RIDEVU application, providing access to IMAX films via the vehicle’s infotainment screens.
At present, the carmaker has only announced plans to roll out this feature in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Germany and Japan, with no word on Australia as yet.
