Few people bother to read the manuals of their vehicles. One way car manufacturers get around this is by developing apps like Mercedes has done with its Ask Mercedes app. The company now says that this is going to be a permanent feature of all its premium vehicles.
Currently, those who own the 2018 model year E- and S-class sedans can use the Ask Mercedes app on their iPhone 6 or newer iPhone. After opening the app, they can use the camera and touchscreen on the phone to get more details about the car’s functions and interiors instead of resorting to an instruction manual that is several pages thick. Once they select a particular feature, the app will give all the information they need on the feature through video, audio, and text.
Mercedes had earlier limited the app to E-class models which are sold in markets like the US, Malaysia and South Africa. It recently developed a patch for S-class compatibility and says that the app will be shortly available to owners of other models soon. There have also been plans to make the app available in more markets like Hong Kong, India, and Germany. It looks like in the long term, Mercedes has plans to replace printed manuals with the Ask Mercedes app.
With more companies going the Mercedes way, we will truly enter the digital age.
