Do we have to worry, Mercedes? Until now, the infotainment at Daimler was called "Command". So it was clear who in the car has the shots. Everything under control in the command center. At least the name changes with the upcoming generation of the A-Class (W177). The 'Command' becomes 'MBUX' or "Mercedes-Benz User Experience". The user experience comes to the fore, says Mercedes.
We already know what that looks like. Daimler shows the first prototype at the CES 2918 electronics trade show in Las Vegas. Two 7 or 10.25 inch displays together form the combination of virtual instrument carrier and infotainment. We know something similar from the E-Class and the S-Class. In the A-Class, however, the virtual instrument panel is standard. Thanks to artificial intelligence, the system should learn and adapt to the user.
The icons on the wide touchscreen become more colorful and playful. Menu items such as telephone, navigation, apps or radio group as usual on the upper menu level. By swiping the display can be moved between the different points back and forth. The three main applications on the home screen are freely selectable . A touch selects the menu item and displays the corresponding submenu. One level down you will find rarely used settings.
MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS W177 MBUX: WITHOUT TURNING AND PRESSING
The second screen in front of the driver acts as usual as an instrument carrier. Round instruments, driving data or music information can be displayed. In full-screen mode, the screen ejects the navigation system or other information on request. Mercedes speaks of a "holistic approach" and wants to make the operation "sensually experienceable". Changes are animated and should be self-explanatory.
The operation is done by finger tap. The rotary-push-button disappears, a touch pad wanders in its place. It controls multi-finger gestures, such as zooming or moving. The already known touch control surfaces on the steering wheel remain available as an alternative. The left controls the instrument panel, the right controls the infotainment screen. In addition, for the first time Mercedes can also use the large displays by finger-wiping and -tip.
Also new: The A-Class should hear much better on the word than current models. The voice control called Linguatronic understands almost all sentences, commands the user does not remember. "I'm cold" raises the temperature, the question "Do I need sunglasses in Miami tomorrow?" will be answered with information about the weather.
VOICE CONTROL IN THE A CLASS LEARNS BUZZ WORDS
For users of Apple's Siri or Amazon Alexa, all this is nothing new. Similar to their language assistant you can activate the Daimler now with the call "Hey Mercedes". Or by pressing a button. The language assistant learns over time, adjusts to the voice of the user and should also capture new buzz words or a changed language usage.
