The latest Baby-Mercedes model is in top shape and can even crack a joke!
A car with a sense of humour? Let’s see! “Hey, Mercedes!” I call at the shiny instrument panel, feeling a bit silly. Talking to a car, what kind of nonsense is this... “How can I help you?” the Siri analogue from Stuttgart comes to life after a moment.
The Mercedes spokesman Jānis claims that MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) understands not only strict orders such as “Heating on” or “Take me home” – the intuitive interface is capable of responding even to such commands as “Tell me a joke!” That might well be so, although the speech synthesis device can’t quite keep up with the MBUX intelligence for now, tripping over pronunciation or some consonant here and there. After messing around for a while, we decide to test the ingenuity of the A Class for real. “Hey, Mercedes! Do you like a BMW?” my companion asks, smirking, addressing the clock area. The virtual AI lines on the screen weave longer than usual, until... the Mercedes switches on Radio Merkurs for us. A truly tasteful joke!
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