Judging from car launches in
recent years, it looks like there’s a race for the title of the largest infotainment
screen fitted to an automobile. Mercedes-Benz is committed to taking part in
this race; just look at the humongous center screen that the all-new 2020
S-Class will have.
These are the very first spy shots of the luxury
sedan’s portrait-style center screen which is the size of China. We don’t know
exactly how big it is, but since the digital instrument panel is wider than on
the current S-Class, the center display is at least as wide and significantly
longer. From this distance, it seems even bigger than the iPad Pro 12.9, the
world’s largest tablet computer.
Look closely and you’ll notice some physical buttons
at the bottom of the screen. They control the driving modes, hazard lights,
volume, on/off, and some other functions we can’t decipher. Most functions will
be accessible via the center touchscreen. Besides the digital instrument panel
and the infotainment display, the rest of the cabin is still covered.
On the outside, it’s pretty clear that the S-Class
prototype features the production headlights and taillights. However, their
shapes remain unknown given the heavy camouflage. The 2020 S-Class will arrive next
year with Level 3 semi-autonomous driving tech, which is a step above Level 2
systems such as Tesla’s Autopilot and Cadillac’s Super Cruise. The flagship
sedan will reportedly feature hybrid-only versions using the latest 3.0-liter
and 2.9-liter straight-six gasoline and diesel engines. The PHEV versions are
expected to offer all-electric driving ranges of up to 100 km.
The S-Class is also said to debut a new 4Matic
all-wheel-drive system with a fully variable torque split between the axles, as
well as an active suspension that will work together with a 48-volt system and
a stereo camera scanning the road ahead. Besides the S-Class, Mercedes is
also developing an all-electric EQ S luxury sedan that will use a new MEA
platform different from the S-Class’ updated MRA architecture.
