Mercedes-Benz today offered a first look at its next-gen, in-vehicle operating system, which will show up in vehicles over the next few years as part of Mercedes' Modular Architecture platform.
A lightweight version of MB.OS (Mercedes-Benz Operating System)—essentially the third-gen version of the existing MBUX infotainment system—will be in Mercedes E-Class vehicles starting this year, with plans to unveil the full system in late 2024/early 2025.
The cloud-based MB.OS will support over-the-air updates, meaning a vehicle's capabilities won't be locked to the model year—"enhancing customer lifetime value long after the original car purchase," Mercedes says.
Traditionally, automakers have added dash capabilities by buying separate electronic control units from different vendors, which are strung together to create the appearance of a seamless, high-tech vehicle. That changes with MB.OS since Mercedes will build and own its own software stack.
"So that's where the big paradigm shift is going on in the auto industry and every car company is looking at some version of this," a Mercedes rep said during a call with reporters. "We made this decision four years ago, and are now on the verge of implementing it."
Still, there are partners involved. Google, for example, will serve up navigation details with a Google Maps integration that more closely resembles the mobile interface (think photos, business hours, ratings, and reviews). The route will also show real-time and predictive traffic information, plus automatic rerouting.
To support the shift to electric vehicles, the navigation software will also provide more precise and reliable range management. "This is only possible because MB.OS has access to all vehicle data such as state of charge and energy consumption," Mercedes said.
However, not every worldwide customer will see Google Maps. Customers in China, where Google is banned, will see AMAP, for example. In Korea, drivers will see their preferred provider. "We will use the go-to map in each region," Mercedes said.
The MBUX (Mercedes Benz User Experience) system will live on as part of MB.OS, the company said. The dash screen will maintain a similar design, though with a more modern look and more entertainment options, such as the ability to watch YouTube or join a video call. The changes will not be as dramatic as switching from Windows to Mac, for example.
MB.OS also supports another big goal: launching the world's first certified Level 3 self-driving system, with the help of Nvidia software and a new partnership with Luminar.
"The company is focusing on Level 3 conditionally automated driving with the ultimate goal of driving at speeds of up to 130 km/h (81mph) in its final iteration," Mercedes says. "To achieve this, Mercedes-Benz has partnered with Nvidia to build fully programmable and updateable driving automation systems. The 'driving brain' of the vehicle is the Nvidia Drive Orin system-on-chip, capable of conducting 254 trillion operations per second to process data from a suite of sensors surrounding the vehicle."
All these in-car improvements—not to mention the considerable cost of going electric—will require some serious cash, and Mercedes is looking to create a new revenue stream from in-vehicle app purchases.
"It is true that this digital side of the business has growth potential and attractive earnings potential," Mercedes said during the Q&A. "No one knows how big that potential pot of gold is, but it significantly supports our journey."
MB.OS also helps turn up the dial on targeted advertising. "Our approach is: we standardize an architecture, and with that we have complete access and control over the data tree," said Magnus Östberg, chief software officer at Mercedes. "The data tree allows us to have full communication with the customer so we can follow the market trends."