Mercedes-Benz & Google Partner on AI-Powered Conversational Search for Navigation

Mercedes-Benz and Google Cloud have announced the expansion of their strategic partnership to introduce new conversational capabilities to the MBUX Virtual Assistant. Google Cloud’s Automotive AI Agent can reference information from Google Maps Platform to give users more detailed and personalised conversational responses about navigation.

Google Maps Platform provides Mercedes-Benz owners with fresh and factual information about 250 million places around the world, and the map is updated nearly in real time, with over 100 million updates made to the map each day.

With the enhanced search and navigation experience, users can converse naturally with the MBUX Virtual Assistant.

Google Cloud’s Automotive AI Agent will also enable the MBUX Virtual Assistant to handle complex, multi-turn dialogue and can retain memory of conversations, which means users can continue conversations and reference information throughout their drives.

The new AI-enhanced Point-of-Interest search and navigation feature is coming to the new Mercedes‑Benz CLA later this year.

It will be the first vehicle designed with the new Mercedes-Benz operating system, MB.OS.

A rollout to further models with the MBUX Voice Assistant is also planned.

Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, says: “At Mercedes-Benz, we seek to offer our customers an exceptional digital experience. Our 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.” 

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, adds: “Mercedes-Benz is known for providing an amazing driving experience, and our partnership will bring cutting edge AI breakthroughs to make those experiences even better. Our new Automotive AI Agent will help drivers navigate and search with in-vehicle assistants, so those interactions are more natural and helpful. This is just the beginning of how agentic capabilities can transform the automotive industry and I’m excited to see our partnership drive progress forward.” 

Mercedes-Benz is one of the first automakers to use Google Cloud’s new Automotive AI Agent solution.