Mercedes-Benz debuts MBUX Hyperscreen

MERCEDES-BENZ has debuted the latest and perhaps the ultimate incarnation of its MBUX infotainment system as the brand gears up to launch its all-electric EQS luxury sedan, the first member of its looming new-generation EV portfolio.

Known officially as the MBUX Hyperscreen, the new system is an all-digital dashboard that will span the entire width of the EQS’ interior and feature artificial intelligence as well as learning capabilities to personalise journeys and the driving experience as much as possible.

Edge-to-edge, the new curved screen measures 141cm in diameter and offers a display area of 2432.11cm² with all of the touch controls providing haptic feedback upon contact.

According to Daimler Group chief design officer Gorden Wagener, the whole idea of the Hyperscreen was to up the “wow” factor of the EQS while simultaneously blending technology with design to offer customers unprecedented ease of use.

“We love simplicity, we have reached a new level of MBUX,” he said.

Compared to the current iteration of MBUX which displays its information and functions within the single – normal – infotainment screen and digital driver display, the Hyperscreen blends all of these functions into a single display devoid of any meaningful number of sub-menus.

Naturally the driver cannot reasonably expect to reach across and access functions displayed in front of the passenger (there is voice command) and so that side of the display is reserved exclusively for passenger use.

When the front passenger seat is unoccupied, Mercedes says the “screen becomes a digital decorative part” of the trim.

The display itself uses OLED technology and while everything has been digitalised, analogue air vents have been integrated into the screen.

Described by Mercedes-Benz AG management board member Sajjad Khan as the brain and nervous system of the car, the MBUX Hyperscreen “continually gets to know the customer better and delivers a tailored, personalised infotainment and operating offering before the occupant even has to click or scroll anywhere.”

More than 20 ‘context-sensitive’ functions can be offered up by the system with navigation functions always set at the centre of the display after careful analysis of the first-generation MBUX system found it was one of the most commonly utilised features along with the phone and media systems.

For those interested in the computing power and technical specifics of the system, eight CPU cores are utilised to power it, memory capacity is pegged at 24GB and the RAM memory bandwidth is rated at 46.4GB per second.

While the new system will initially only be available on the EQS – the all-electric member of the S-Class family and therefore the flag-bearer for Mercedes’ technological prowess – we expect the technology to trickle down the range and one day become standard equipment across the entire model line-up as it progresses and inevitably becomes more affordable.

Tipped to boast an effective driving range of up to 700km on the on the WLTP cycle, the EQS will go into production later this year before a high-riding SUV version emerges in the coming years.

Mercedes-Benz sold 29,455 new cars in Australia last year and weathered the COVID-19 pandemic better than a lot of other manufacturers with the sales total marking a 7.9 per cent slip compared to 2019.