Mercedes-Benz Unlikely To Let Apple Takeover Its Interface: Ola Kallenius

In a wide-ranging interview with the Verge, Mercedes Benz CEO Ola Kallenius has hinted that his company will not let Apple completely takeover its in-car interface with its new CarPlay phone beaming system. Apple announced a new version of CarPlay at the World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) earlier this month which features a gorgeous new interface that extends to the digital instrument cluster and even controls core car features like the HVAC system. While announcing the new CarPlay, Apple announced a number of partner brands including Mercedes Benz. 

Soon after Apple's announcement, many automakers including Mercedes Benz revealed to The Verge nothing was final and sounded cagey about the adoption of the new interface that works via the iPhone. Now in the new interview, the Mercedes Benz boss has hinted that something like CarPlay will never be able to take over all the functions of the car. He also added that because of the luxury brand positioning customers will expect something more than what is offered on any other car. 

Also Read: New CarPlay Launch Is Class Apple Before It Invades A New Product Segment 

Apple has noted many major automakers as its partner for the new CarPlay

"A Mercedes, of course, is usually a little bit more than in cars in the volume segment. If you want a holistic and coherent experience in that car, you are going to stick to the Mercedes ecosystem, yet have an open-source mentality of MBOS to interact with other ecosystems that the customers also use," he said. 

"I watched that video. We will see what we do with them. We will have to discuss that. Our clear goal is to have a Mercedes experience through and through," he further explained. 

But he ended the interview in an open-ended state. He said that Mercedes Benz had a relationship with Apple that went back years and admitted that it was one of the first CarPlay partners. 

"We have a very good relationship with them and decided early on that the CarPlay function is something that customers may want to use. We will have to discuss how we further develop that relationship," he further explained. 

Apple may not be able to launch the full new CarPlay on Mercedes-Benz vehicles 

Also Read: Car Companies Unsure Of New Apple CarPlay

What's happened here? Well, it seems clear that Apple's partners are cagey. It could also be a situation where Apple has just stated its CarPlay partners. Apple has confirmed that it will continue to further develop the current CarPlay which impacts just the infotainment piece. Kallenius in the podcast also sounded like someone who didn't know what was going on which could be a byproduct of Apple's obsessive need for secrecy. 

One thing is quite sure - the automakers like Mercedes Benz aren't comfortable with the encroachment of Apple and Google within their world. But they also admit that these technologies are something that the consumers want. As for the list, Apple showcased, it is highly likely that come to the end of 2023, not all of those partners announced at WWDC have adopted CarPlay.