How India is shaping Mercedes-Benz's most cutting-edge innovations

Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI) has emerged as the German carmaker's biggest R&D centre globally. It is powering the company's some of the most cutting-edge systems and tech updates
How India is powering Mercedes-Benz’s most cutting edge innovations

How India is powering Mercedes-Benz’s most cutting edge innovations

Photo : AP
The Stuttgart, Germany-based carmaker Mercedes-Benz’s India research centre is the company’s largest research & development (R&D) facility outside its home country. The Bengaluru-based facility, which draws from the best of India's IT talent pool, is driving the bulk of technology development after over two decades of its establishment as a captive centre. It is here that the majority of the company’s technology development for autonomous vehicles and connected cars occurs in collaboration with global teams.
Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India’s (MBRDI’s) fingerprints are all over the company; it is an indispensable part of everything from infotainment systems to automated solutions and computer vision to the design and production elements of the ultra-premium vehicles.
“We spent our formative years as a student, learning from a company which already had 100 years of car-making history. Now, with the advent of digital, we’ve become the largest R& D hub globally,” said Manu Saale, managing director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI) told Economic Times.
Saale attributed MBRDI’s emergence as a powerhouse of innovation to India’s growing talent pool. It employs some 9000 workers and is expected to hire 1000 more during the year.
MBRDI is in “hyper mode” to recruit people with digital skills, which Saale says is akin to hiring for an IT company. With the break-neck speed of innovation in the car industry, Saale expects high-throttle requirements to continue over the next few years.
Among MBRDI’s many contributions include its work on MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) which boasts of features like the interior assist—the complete AI software for which was developed at MBRDI. It was also instrumental in developing ‘Hey Mercedes’ feature. The centre is also closely involved in the development of the MB. OS (Mercedes-Benz Operating System) which is expected to be the core software platform for all its cars from 2024.
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