Next-Gen Mercedes-Benz CLA Will Get Google AI Virtual Assistant

The upcoming Mercedes-Benz CLA’s MBUX virtual assistant will be powered by Google’s AI technology.

The next-gen Mercedes-Benz CLA is poised to make its debut anytime now, and we’re finally getting to learn more about this upcoming compact saloon. Aside from its powertrain setup, the three-pointed star marque is now sharing bits about the new CLA’s infotainment setup.

Through its newly formed partnership with Google Cloud, the new CLA will feature an advanced MBUX infotainment suite powered by Google’s AI technology. This artificial intelligence technology promises to further enhance the MBUX’s Virtual Assistant system by letting drivers have a ‘real’ conversation with the car while at the same time accessing real-time information from Google services like Google Maps.

According to its official statement, Google Cloud’s new Automotive AI Agent is loosely based on the firm’s main AI system, Google Gemini. It promises to deliver “personalised, conversational engagement for navigation, search, media, communication, and other vehicle controls” as well as natural language understanding and ”multimodal reasoning.”

This combo between the AI system and Google Map data allows drivers to ask for directions in a more human-like manner, where instead of asking for directions to a restaurant, drivers can instead just say, “I’m looking for a great place to take my family for a special birthday dinner,” and the AI will comply accordingly. In addition, drivers can also ask follow-up questions to their initial request, where the system can remember previous conversations, thus opening up to new possibilities.

As we mentioned earlier, this new Automotive AI Agent will be making its way into the upcoming CLA, which is bound for debut in the latter part of the year. Said model will also debut Merc’s new operating system, known as the MB.OS, before making its way to other selected models in the near future.

Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius (centre) with Google CEO Sundar Pichai (left) and Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian (right)

Given that information is somewhat vague at the moment, we are expected to learn more about this new on-board virtual assistant as we get closer to the CLA’s launch date. According to Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius, the company’s partnership with Google Cloud “will further enhance in-car navigation, combining sophisticated location data with generative AI.”

“Launching with the new CLA, our next-gen navigation will allow drivers and passengers to use voice commands to obtain comprehensive and personalized information within seconds,” the CEO added.