Mercedes-Benz cars to have supercomputers, unveils Google partnership

Mercedes-Benz said on Wednesday it has teamed up with Google on navigation and will offer super computer-like performance in every car with automated driving sensors as it seeks to compete with Tesla and Chinese newcomers.

Automakers new and old are racing to match software-powered features pioneered by Tesla, which allow for vehicle performance, battery range and self-driving capabilities to be updated from a distance.

”The German carmaker agreed to share revenue with semiconductor maker Nvidia Corporation, its partner on automated driving software since 2020, to bring down the upfront cost of buying expensive high-powered semiconductors,” Chief Executive Ola Kaellenius said.

Self-driving sensor maker Luminar Technologies Inc, in which Mercedes owns a small stake, said on Wednesday it struck a multi-billion dollar deal with the carmaker to integrate its sensors across a broad range of its vehicles by the middle of the decade, sending Luminar shares up over 25%.

GOOGLE Partnership

Mercedes said the collaboration with Google would allow it to offer traffic information and automatic rerouting in its cars.

Drivers will also be able to watch YouTube on the cars’ entertainment system when the car is parked or in Level 3 autonomous driving mode, which allows a driver to take their eyes off the wheel on certain roads as long as they can resume control if needed.

All vehicles on Mercedes’ upcoming modular architecture platform will also have so-called hyper-screens extending across the cockpit of the car, the company said on Wednesday.