If you're one of those who recoils at those ever-larger screen displays in new vehicle models, Mercedes-Benz has bad news for you.
The company is already among those with humongous displays in its vehicles, notably with the HyperScreen which, on certain models, integrated several screens spanning the entire dashboard.
Mercedes-Benz confirmed at CES 2024 (in an interview with Autocar) that the company plans to not only keep its huge screens but is “on a trajectory where you see even more screens in the car.”
Mercedes-Benz CTO Markus Schafer said that more of the company’s models will adopt the HyperScreen and SuperScreen displays found in the EQ models and the latest E-Class. And the layout of the screens will evolve over time. “Mercedes will go to seamless screens from left to right. That's the next evolution,” he explained.
That's already the impression at the moment, though in reality, there are three separate screens making up the display. We can imagine greater interaction across the entire surface, even more advanced animations and so on.
Future Mercedes models will feature a new screen offering a “really stunning experience,”, in the words of Schafer. The German automaker will continue to use LG and its OLED technology going forward, with a focus in integrating video game engine technology to make the experience even more engaging and visually impressive.
It has to be said, the screens on Mercedes-Benz vehicles offer extraordinary clarity and color.
Whether you like this approach or not, it's the future, and it's safe to assume we can forget about the return of more traditional presentations with physical buttons. In any case, it's more economical for automakers to go with on-screen controls, rather than having to design buttons, knobs and other physical commands.
Mercedes’ declarations do beg the question: Where could screens be added? Let your imagination run free, and you can imagine them at the rear, on the centre console, inside the doors (this is already the case with BMW's 7 Series) and so on.
The downside is that using screens to adjust settings adds a lot of distraction when you're behind the wheel.
Mercedes also plans to introduce ChatGPT on other models to scare off technophobes, but it will be careful about what it allows drivers to say, citing public responsibility issues.