Mercedes Benz announced that it Mercedes me platform is expanding to customers in Australia, New Zealand and Thailand, making the total 45 countries, with more planned. Also coming is ability to buy software upgrades for options.
After buying the car, with the “on-demand feature”, customers can use MBUX (icon “Mercedes me Store”) or the Online Store to order further optional equipment for these cars:
- Mercedes-Benz A-Class (via MBUX: production time first quarter of 2019; Mercedes me Store: from market launch)
- Mercedes-Benz B-Class (via MBUX and Mercedes me Store: from market launch)
- New Mercedes-Benz GLE (via MBUX and Mercedes me Store: from market launch).
Even if the vehicle has already been delivered, customers can subsequently purchase the Digital Radio, Smartphone Integration with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto or Navigation. This requires the customer to have connected the car with Mercedes me, with a working data connection. The required optional equipment can then be activated via the Mercedes me Store in the head unit or online with a few clicks. This is particularly attractive in cases where the customer has forgotten to order an option, previously. The next car owners can also buy options after purchase. Mercedes claims that the feature helps the long-term value retention of cars and resale value.. For example, Digital Radio will become mandatory for new vehicles in the European Union from 2020.
For the European market, the Tidal platform is the first music streaming service to be integrated into the Mercedes me package Mercedes-Benz, customers for free for the first year while data fees may apply. Tidal is fully integrated into MBUX, and is voice activated with “Hey Mercedes” for Tidal to play the driver’s favorite song.Tidal streams the almost 60 million titles in its music library at a loss-free compression rate of 1411 kB/s, corresponding to CD quality.
The product range of Mercedes me is becoming increasingly varied, and is available in more and more markets. With Australia, New Zealand and Thailand on board since the beginning of this year, the number of markets in which Mercedes me can be used has risen to 45. And for customers in the EU, the particularly good audio quality of the music-streaming service Tidal is available via Mercedes me – even without a subscription fee for 12 months when purchasing a new Mercedes-Benz with MBUX, integrated into the vehicle and usable with “Hey Mercedes”. In the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, B-Class and the new GLE, customers can also order optional equipment online in the car or via the Mercedes me Store after purchasing their vehicle, thanks to MBUX.