Automotive Engineering - March 2025 - 32

INTERVIEW
Mercedes CEO talks software-defined vehicles
and 30 years in Silicon Valley
Nestled in a commercial park in Sunnyvale,
California, sits the Mercedes-Benz research
and development North America office. A
spinning star sits in the front of the building. It
is one of six locations across North America
and joins research facilities in Asia and Europe.
During a recent media roundtable,
Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius told journalists
that the original purpose for the facility
30 years ago was because it recognized
that Silicon Valley was a unique place where
top academia meets with venture capital and
where smart people from around the world
gather. " So the very first intent with the first
few baby steps of coming to Silicon Valley
was like, it's almost like you send out a group
of people to do reconnaissance, create contact,
be part of the conversation, and figure
out what's going on, " Källenius said.
In the past three decades, computers and
sensors have become a more integral part of
automobiles. Software is now one of the biggest
obstacles facing the deployment of a new
car. To reduce some of those headaches,
Mercedes is working on its own operating system
for future vehicles. The upcoming CLA
with MB.OS will be the first software-defined vehicle (SDV)
from the German automaker.
The SDV will be built from the ground up by Mercedes with
" From this point forward, every Mercedes will have
a supercomputer in it. Every Mercedes will have a
full sensor suite. "
integrations to third-party products handled by the operating
system as opposed to trying to wrangle dozens of software
integrations that don't always talk to one another.
To that end, Källenius shared that Mercedes will integrate
the Google Maps Platform into the MBUX digital assistant.
The system will use Google Cloud's new Automotive AI Agent
based on the Google Gemini AI technology. It joins ChatGPT
as a part of the Mercedes virtual assistant.
Källenius noted that the competing AI systems will be handled
by MB.OS. When a query comes in, the Mercedes operating
system will determine whether Gemini or ChatGPT will
Mercedes previewed the next-generation
CLA with an electric concept at
the Munich Motor Show
in 2023.
handle determining the answer. For those concerned about
privacy, Google says that it will not share personal data with
either third-party company.
" If you're in a Mercedes, you're fully and totally inside the
Mercedes world, " the CEO said. Mercedes owners will have
their Mercedes Me account, and that's the only system they
need to log into to use any of the vehicle's functions.
The integration will be launched on the CLA when it hits the
road later this year and will be rolled out to other Mercedes
vehicles over time. Källenius said it affects all the cars that
have been sold in recent years. Older vehicles will have access
to most of the features, although MB.OS 1.0 will have the full
version. The CLA being launched this year is the first car that
has this functionality fundamentally built in from the ground
up. Plus, it will ship with a new 800-volt electronic architecture
with a comprehensive, holistic software stack with different
domains. Plus, it supports OTA (over-the-air) updates.
As for other OEMs also partnering with Google, Källenius
isn't concerned. The CEO sees Mercedes as a trailblazer in this
regard, " You need to have an adventurous OEM that is willing
to push the boundaries. " Källenius added, " If others benefit
from that down the road, that's fine. From this point forward,
every Mercedes will have a supercomputer in it. Every
Mercedes will have a full sensor suite. "
Roberto Baldwin
32 March 2025
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
Mercedes-Benz CEO
Ola Källenius with a
prototype EQS
electric sedan.
BOTH IMAGES: MERCEDES-BENZ
Automotive Engineering - March 2025

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