Google and Mercedes-Benz demo Gemini AI inside the next-gen MBUX, debuting in the 2025 CLA. Smarter navigation, restaurant checks, and task handling now.
© YouTube / Google Cloud
Google and Mercedes-Benz have for the first time shown how the Gemini AI works inside a production car. The technology will be part of the next generation of the MBUX virtual assistant and will debut in the Mercedes CLA, which is expected to arrive in the United States by the end of 2025.
During a test drive, executives from Mercedes and Google Cloud demonstrated the system in action. The Gemini-based assistant understands context and keeps the conversation going without the driver reaching for the console. In the demo, it not only mapped a route and suggested nearby coffee spots, but also checked details like whether pastries were on the menu. The exchange came together quickly and naturally, drawing on Google Maps data, and felt more like talking to a helpful passenger than issuing commands.
Gemini also handled more demanding requests. When asked to find an Italian restaurant, the assistant checked the venue’s wine list and offered to place a call directly—clear proof it can complete tasks within a live back-and-forth. It’s a meaningful step forward compared with the Google Assistant previously built into cars.
Google had earlier announced Gemini for Android Auto and vehicles with Google Built-in, but exact timing remains unclear. Most likely, the technology will land first in the Mercedes CLA and then reach other models, including the Lincoln Nautilus, Renault R5, and Honda Passport. That would make the new CLA the first production car with full Gemini integration—an early marker for where “smart” cars are headed.