Update: Mercedes-Benz has released official interior images of its forthcoming EQS electric luxury sedan. The EQS will feature Merc's latest 56-inch MBUX Hyperscreen spanning the entire width of the dashboard and features 12 actuators that ensure intuitive touch functionality with haptic feedback. However, the base EQS derivative will be equipped with the familiar system offered in the new S-Class comprising a 12.3-inch floating display and a 12.8-inch screen placed directly ahead of the driver.
Mercedes-Benz will also offer a choice of 2 seats, Comfort and Sport, as well as a 710-watt, 15-speaker Burmester sound system and a HEPA filter that is designed to keep dust, pollen and other micro-particles outside the cabin. A host ofEnergising Comfort programmes will be available to maximise interior comfort and now incorporate sounds such as Forest Glade, Sounds of the Sea and Summer Rain to soothe your soul. A 3-stage Power Nap programme can also be selected when you need to rest. With Power Nap, the driver's seat is set in a rest position, the windows and roller blinds are closed and the air conditioning, mood lighting and audiois primed for sleep. Upon awakening, the EQS will provide a refreshing soundscape and fragrance while returning the seat to the upright position and opening the blinds. Sounds like something out of a fairy tale, right? The EQS is due to be fully revealed in April 2021.
Earlier this year, the Three-pointed Star released details of the futuristic new setup, which, in contrast with the well-known Widescreen Cockpit, is not a rectangular panel that stands proud of the Benz' fascia. Instead, the MBUX Hyperscreen is a 1.41-metre-long curved unit with OLED technology that houses the digital instrument cluster, central media screen, climate control panel, as well as a media display for the front passenger, in a continuous glass panel. Watch the latest teaser (above) to see why and how this technology was developed
The Mercedes-Benz Vision EQS previews the brand's upcoming EV sibling to the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
The curved plastic panel, which is moulded 3-dimensionally, is coated in a triple-layer process dubbed Silver Shadow to create a “high-quality surface impression”, reduce reflections and make cleaning easier, Benz says. Like iPhones, it utilises tough but flexible Gorilla Glass. A continuous plastic front frame, with integrated ambient lighting installed in the lower part,makes theMBUX Hyperscreen appear to float on the car’s fascia, while traditional turbine-style air vents are slotted through the panel on either side.
The MBUX Hyperscreen incorporates 4 displays (including the climate control panel), 3 of which are touchscreen areas.
The system comprises 8 CPU cores, 24 GB of RAM (with 46.4 GB per second memory bandwidth) and is supported by a multifunction interior camera and a light sensor, the latter of which dynamically adjusts the brightness of the screen according to ambient light conditions, while a dozen actuators provide haptic feedback to the touch-sensitiveareas.
Using artificial intelligence (AI) that is said to learn the user’s preferences and display the appropriatecar functions when they are needed, the MBUX Hyperscreen has a “zero-layer” menu system that avoids the need to scroll through complex sub-menus or give voice commands, which will undoubtedly appease critics of the Sindelfingen-based brand's older(somewhat clunky) Comand systems.
By virtue of replacing the traditional fascia, the central infotainment/media screen of the MBUX Hyperscreen is sizeable.
To reiterate, the front passenger is afforded their own display, which is customisable for up to 7 different profiles (although note that the entertainment functions of this area are only available during the journey, depending on country-specific legal regulations). If the passenger seat is unoccupied, the screen simply displays animated stars.
Meanwhile, the MBUX Hyperscreen’s AI software can learn drivers’ habits and automatically perform their favourite functions. It’s set up to recognise the person driving the car (by using its interior camera) and store information on up to 7 people’s driving habits.
The MBUX Hyperscreen has a subtle surround, LED under-illumination and includes an all-digital climate control interface.
Here’s an example: if the vehicle’s regular driver habitually calls one of their phone contacts while driving home on, let’s say, a Tuesday evening, the system will display a prompt at the appropriate date and time from then on. However, if someone else is driving the car on a Tuesday evening atthat particular time in future… they won’t be shown the prompt.
The system is also useful for suggesting to perform certain vehicle functions at particular GPS positions… If a user drives an MBUX Hyperscreen-equipped vehicle and regularly needs to drive through a steep garage entrance, for example, the system will remember the GPS position at which the user utilised the air suspension controls to increase the vehicle’s ground clearance. If the vehicle approaches that GPS position again, the advanced MBUX software will automatically propose you engage the lift function.
The MBUX Hyperscreen is likely tobe offered on theEQS SUV variant, which is scheduled to debut in 2022.