Mercedes-Benz and Google have just announced a new long-term strategic partnership that will see the two companies collaborating on a range of initiatives designed to create the next-generation digital luxury car experience.
Specifically, Mercedes-Benz will become the first automaker to create its own branded navigation experience using Google Maps Platform’s new in-car data and navigation capabilities. This partnership will give Mercedes-Benz access to Google’s leading geospatial offering, including detailed information about places, real-time and predictive traffic information, automatic rerouting, and more.
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The new partnership will see Google’s industry-leading mapping and navigation expertise embedded into the upcoming Mercedes-Benz Operating System (MB.OS), providing customers with a superior navigation experience that is both easy to use and boasts outstanding graphics on the car’s high-resolution screen. In addition to this, the two companies will be working together to bring the YouTube app into the Mercedes-Benz infotainment system, enriching the user experience even further.
The partnership will also enable Mercedes-Benz to leverage Google Maps data to enable assisted driving features, such as automatic speed adjustments before intersections, roundabouts, or curves. This will help to make driving even safer and more convenient for Mercedes-Benz customers.
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Mercedes-Benz will also give customers access to Place Details provided by Google, which will provide detailed information about more than 200 million businesses and places around the world, including business hours, photos, ratings, and reviews. Place Details will be available starting today in all vehicles with the latest generation of MBUX in applicable markets.
Looking to the future, Mercedes-Benz and Google have agreed to explore further collaboration using Google Cloud’s leading artificial intelligence (AI), data, and open infrastructure solutions. For example, Mercedes-Benz intends to use Google Cloud’s AI and Machine Learning capabilities to create, train, and deploy new models at speed and enhance customer experiences. The company also plans to use Google’s fast and efficient data processing platform to analyze fleet data and its open infrastructure to securely innovate and scale from on-premises to edge to cloud.
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In a joint statement, Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz, and Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, expressed their excitement about the partnership and the opportunities it presents. “We invite only the very best partners to enhance our operating system and to add to the Mercedes-Benz customer experience. Google has been a leader in maps and navigation for many years,” said Källenius. “With our strategic partnership, we are excited to create unique services and to elevate the level of convenience for our customers.”
Pichai added: “Our partnership with Mercedes-Benz brings advanced technologies from Google Maps Platform, Cloud, and YouTube to help create new experiences for drivers. In addition to enabling Mercedes-Benz to design a customized navigation interface, we’ll provide our AI and data capabilities to accelerate their sustainability efforts, advance autonomous driving, and create an enhanced customer experience.”
