The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class gets first crack at the company’s voice assistant
The 2018 Mercedes-Benz A-Class is a sign that the automaker — known for its large, luxurious, and expensive cars — is starting to send its most advanced technology into more attainable vehicles.
While the A-Class hatch was revealed in its production form on Friday in Amsterdam, we got a ride in a mildly disguised version last month in Las Vegas when we saw the Mercedes-Benz User Experience, or MBUX, infotainment system that launches with this car. The company’s executives said that it wanted to launch the system — with its new “LINGUATRONIC” voice assistant that makes you say, “Hey, Mercedes,” to activate it — in the car that its youngest customers land in, with the most interest in technology, rather than much older demographic that...