BARCELONA—There's a scene in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice wherein Bond's on-the-ground partner Aki makes a video call from her car during a chase. It's one of the earliest portrayals of video calls in cars. Now, some 55 or more years later, the dream of in-car video calls is coming to the 2024 Mercedes E Class sedan via thanks to a partnership with Cisco and its Webex platform.
Mercedes-Benz says today's hybrid work environment demands constant connectivity whether people are working at home, in the office, or on the road—literally. The company's new partnership with Cisco will power enterprise-class video calls in its 2024 E Class sedans. The forthcoming capability makes it possible for "an architect in the parking lot of a job site to collaborate with their team back at the firm, for example, or take a meeting between visiting a client and picking up the kids from after school care."
The idea is pretty simple. Many of today's newest cars are connected in one way or another. Cellular service is being embedded in cars as they roll off the assembly line. More frequently, new cars ship with enhanced dashboard experiences that include large touch displays, multimedia, and more. Critically, today's hybrid workers are demanding the ability to participate in work activities—including video calls—no matter where they are.
Mercedes says drivers will be able to conduct video calls with the Webex Meetings suite complete with enterprise-grade call quality in their compatible car. Video calls will be available only when the car is in park (i.e., not moving). Calls made while the car is in motion will be made via audio only in order to help the driver focus on the road. When parked, however, the Mercedes 2024 E Class cars will be able to take full advantage of the Webex platform, including AI-powered transcriptions, content sharing, reactions, and more.
This service will work over cellular or Wi-Fi connections, and will require that drivers download the Webex app to their car's dashboard. Otherwise, the service is expected to launch globally later this spring when the 2024 E Class sedan reaches dealerships.