Mercedes Exec Says Big Screens Aren't Luxurious but Won't Ditch Them
In an interview with , Mercedes design chief Gorden Wagener conceded that "screens are not luxury."
Wagener argued that true luxury is communicated to customers through "craftsmanship and sophistication."
Still, Mercedes won't ditch its Hyperscreen, and Wagener said the company is developing better software and more content to make the massive screens worth having.
While most modern cars have a large touchscreen on the dashboard, along with a digital gauge cluster behind the steering wheel, Mercedes-Benz took the trend to new extremes a few years ago with the electric EQS sedan's Hyperscreen. The dash-spanning setup consists of three screens behind one continuous piece of glass that stretches the width of the car. Despite Mercedes's screen innovation, its chief design officer Gorden Wagener recently said in an interview with ABC News that "screens are not luxury."
The main reason behind Wagener's opinion is that big screens aren't uncommon, especially for Mercedes's wealthy clientele. "You have a better—and bigger—TV at home, right?" he stated. Plus, new cars, especially in the premium segments, tend to feature at least one screen measuring 10 inches or more. Bigger and bigger displays aren't enough to differentiate Mercedes, especially as more cars start to feature dedicated screens for the front passenger, such as the Ferrari Purosangue, Ram 1500, and Jeep Grand Wagoneer.
"So, we have to create luxury beyond the screen," Wagener explained. However, the design boss didn't get specific about how Mercedes aims to create that feeling of luxury, simply stating that what denotes a true luxury vehicle is "craftsmanship and sophistication."
Despite Wagener's comments, Mercedes isn't about to ditch the gigantic displays. The S-class sedan, the company's flagship car, is set for a substantial refresh for the 2026 model year, which will likely see the EQS's Hyperscreen adorn the sedan's dashboard. Plus, the latest E-class only arrived two model years ago with the Superscreen, a slightly more modest take on digital overload.
While the screens will stick around, Mercedes plans to do more to make the displays worth having. The concession about the use of bigger and flashier screens to denote a high-end vehicle came after ABC News asked about the customer response to units such as the Hyperscreen found in the EQS electric sedan. Wagener noted that the hardware is "very good"—Mercedes's displays look futuristic and feature crisp graphics—but he also said the software "hasn't been that good."
The E-class's infotainment system packs an array of applications such as TikTok, Angry Birds, and the ability to take Zoom video calls, but Mercedes is cooking up even more special content for its oversized displays. "Because when you have a big screen, you want to have great content on it," Wagener told ABC News. "So we're working on content that is more specific and more entertaining."
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