“Screens Are Not Luxury” Says One Mercedes-Benz Executive
What comes to mind when you think of automotive luxury? Is it real wood trim with an open-pore finish or thumpin’ 20-speaker sound systems? What about advanced driver assistance technologies like automatic high beams or blind spot monitoring? How about incredible off-road capability or rich Corinthian leather? All these amenities could be considered luxury, but for years now, automakers have been obsessed with screens, putting more and more displays inside their cars and trucks to dazzle potential customers, but according to one executive at Mercedes-Benz, this may not be the right course of action.
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There's Work To Do On The Software Side, Too
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As reported in an article published by ABC News, Gorden Wagener, chief design officer at the prestigious German automaker said, “Screens are not luxury,” a rather shocking statement to make in 2025, when everyone seems to be completely obsessed with display panels, apps, and ever-expanding connectivity. “You have a better – and bigger – TV at home, right?” the executive continued, “And every car has a big screen. So, we have to create luxury beyond the screen.”
That’s a curious statement coming from someone that likely played a huge role in the proliferation of in-car displays. Other models in the company’s range offer this feature, too, but the all-electric Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan, for instance, comes with a dashboard-dominating slab of technology called the MBUX Hyperscreen. It incorporates multiple individual displays, all mounted underneath a single, uninterrupted pillar-to-pillar glass panel that measures 56 inches across. Other automakers offer a surfeit of displays in their vehicles, but few of these are as massive as what Mercedes-Benz is putting in select vehicles these days.
When asked about how customers have taken to the MBUX Hyperscreen, Wagener noted that the technology is only offered in a few vehicles right now. Continuing, he said, “From the hardware side it's very good. From the software side it hasn't been that good,” another stunning admission from the executive, who also mentioned that they are working on providing content to customers that is “more specific and more entertaining.”
Infotainment systems like the MBUX Hyperscreen offer enormous functionality, sometimes too much. Also, the user interfaces automakers develop for these multimedia arrays can have steep learning curves, and they can even be difficult to operate while driving. Across the industry, more work should be done to improve the usability and responsiveness of infotainment technology, which, if you think about it, is a safety issue.
What’s Old Is New Again
Mercedes
Going forward, it sounds like Mercedes-Benz may go back to its luxury roots so to speak. “That's why I talk about craftsmanship and sophistication,” said Wagener. “There's so much emphasis on making [Mercedes-Benz] vehicles better.” He didn’t elaborate on what this means specifically, but it sounds like high-end materials, refined designs, and peerless assembly quality may be making a comeback at the German automaker or at least will be emphasized more in the future.
Despite this change, it’s unlikely Mercedes-Benz is walking away from the MBUX Hyperscreen, abandoning the investments made in this technology. Reportedly, the company’s S-Class flagship sedan is getting this high-end display array when refreshed for 2026.
