Mercedes Benz

You've heard the old joke about Bill Gates criticizing General Motors, noting that if the company had kept up with technology, then we would be driving $25 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon, or some such. And GM responds that if it built cars like Microsoft, then "for no reason at all, your car would crash twice a day." Though the exchange never happened, it hints at the complex problem facing the auto industry today. Cars have transformed from the buggies of Henry Ford's Model T into connected devices, streaming navigation, entertainment and other features through infotainment systems that vie to bring the capabilities of a smartphone, and more, to the dashboard. The 2017 Autotrader Car Tech Impact Study is reported to have found that 53 percent of consumers expect their vehicles to offer the same level of technology as their phones, keeping them connected on the move. However, manufacturers on their own are unable to produce enough software at scale and pace ...