Mercedes-Benz is turning its dashboard assistant into an AI co-pilot. A new MBUX upgrade featuring Google’s Gemini AI moves beyond voice commands to conversational, context-aware trip help. The move starts with the upcoming CLA model and slated for wider rollout.
For most drivers, in-car voice assistants have been glorified remote controls: set the temperature, call a contact, start navigation. Mercedes itself has described the older MBUX system as good at about 20 predefined tasks but brittle once you leave the script.
The Gemini-based upgrade is built on Google Cloud’s Automotive AI Agent, a vehicle-tuned conversational system running on Vertex AI. Practically, that means multi-turn dialogue and short-term memory. You can ask for a restaurant, follow up on reviews or signature dishes, and get a coherent answer without restating context. Navigation results surface natively inside MBUX, not as a phone projection layer.
The first production home for this assistant is the next Mercedes-Benz CLA running MB.OS, with other MB.OS vehicles to follow.
Three things make this more than a routine infotainment refresh. First, it’s “agentic” by design. The assistant reasons through messy requests and handles follow-ups, not just single intents. That’s a real UX leap for driving, where interruptions and mid-route changes are constant. Next, it’s deeply integrated, not a bolt-on app. While many cars run Android Auto, few embed a full conversational stack into the vehicle OS to control cabin functions and navigation as one system. That matters for latency, safety and task orchestration. Finally, it sets a luxury benchmark. Mercedes is signaling that “luxury tech” is no longer a slick screen—it’s a dashboard companion that interprets, suggests and remembers.
This lands inside a faster-moving global contest. On November 13, 2025, Chinese regulators approved the first foreign automakers to deploy generative AI chatbots domestically. Beijing registered Mercedes-Benz’s assistant, while Shanghai approved Tesla’s xBot and Volvo’s Xiao Wo. Since April 2024, China has required generative AI services to register before consumer deployment, with 611 services approved nationally as of November 1 (SCMP).
The wider automotive AI race
Tesla: In China, Tesla’s “Hey Tesla” assistant uses DeepSeek and ByteDance AI for mainland vehicles, while developing separate AI stacks for autonomy globally (SCMP). FSD still faces regulatory hurdles in China.
Volvo: Xiao Wo focuses on customer service. Globally, Volvo has Google built-in infotainment but hasn’t announced a Gemini-level “agentic” upgrade.
BMW: BMW is integrating DeepSeek AI for China, starting with the 5 Series, i5, and X3 in Q3 2025, according to China Daily. Mercedes appears first among legacy luxury brands to ship an agentic copilot rather than a smarter voice layer.
Chinese Domestic Brands: BYD, Geely and others are integrating DeepSeek-based assistants at mass scale, marketing AI copilots as standard rather than premium add-ons.
