Mercedes partners with Google to bring Maps and YouTube to its vehicles

Mercedes-Benz and Google have fashioned a long-term partnership designed to offer the German automaker management over IP and market, whereas offering navigation, maps and YouTube to drivers powered by the tech big.

It is an unconventional deal that tries to strike a Goldilocks-type stability between delivering the Google companies customers need with out handing over management over the complete working system within the automotive.

“It is a ‘win-win’ license settlement for each events,” Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius stated at a press convention on the analysis and growth heart in Sunnyvale, California on Wednesday. “We’re the complete architects of the stack.”

It is okay to name it a license settlement, however maybe downplays the connection. This The partnership will deliver the Google Maps platform, Cloud and YouTube to future Mercedes-Benz autos geared up with the automaker’s next-generation working system referred to as MB.OS. Merecdes may have entry to Google’s geospatial providing, together with detailed details about locations, real-time and predictive visitors data, and computerized redirection. Mercedes-Benz will use Google Maps information to allow assisted driving options resembling computerized velocity changes earlier than intersections, roundabouts or bends.

However as Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai factors out, the partnership will transcend that.

“In addition to enabling Mercedes-Benz to design a personalized navigation interface, we’ll present our AI and information capabilities to speed up sustainability efforts, advance autonomous driving and create an enhanced buyer expertise,” Pichai stated in an announcement.

Mercedes-Benz has been working by itself MB.OS working system for a number of years. This working system might be launched within the subsequent era of Mercedes autos (internally referred to as MMA) anticipated to enter manufacturing in direction of the top of 2024.

Mercedes stated it constructed the Linux-based system itself and designed it to assist third-party apps and companies resembling these offered by Google. Mercedes, for instance, stated it plans to create its personal branded navigation utilizing new in-vehicle geospatial information and navigation options from the Google Maps Platform.

However prospects will not have to attend years to style the primary fruits of the partnership. Mercedes stated Wednesday that the automaker will present prospects with entry to the primary new options offered by Google, resembling Location Particulars, beginning in the present day. The brand new function might be out there by way of a wi-fi software program replace.

The forerunner of MB.OS may also seem within the new Mercedes E-Class this 12 months. On this system, prospects will be capable of entry purposes resembling Tiktok and Zoom from the automotive’s infotainment system.

The ultimate recreation is excessive stakes. Mercedes desires its MB.OS to be so engaging that drivers now not select to make use of middleware merchandise resembling Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which mirror their smartphones to the automotive’s infotainment system.

“I That means, This This the last purpose associated to MB.OS finally, IT will create A buyer expertise Because of this there may be NO want with receipt inside your cellphone.” CTO Markus Schäfer stated on the occasion on Wednesday.