By Nick Carey
LONDON (Reuters) – Daimler AG’s on Thursday unveiled a new “Hyperscreen” display that will cover almost the entire dashboard of its luxury Mercedes-Benz models, in a bid to outdo Tesla Inc’s large touchscreen infotainment system that has been a hallmark of the electric carmaker’s success.
In a video presentation, Daimler Chief Executive Ola Kallenius said the new screen – which at 56 inches (142.24 cm) in width dwarfs Tesla’s vaunted 17-inch screen – will make its debut in the EQS, Mercedes’ new fully electric sedan that will be unveiled later this year and will have a driving range of 700 kilometers (435 miles).
As well as including vehicle functions such as the speedometer, and music and navigation features, the screen will allow passengers to access some vehicle functions and, in some markets, to watch television without disturbing the driver.
Tesla has dominated global electric vehicle sales and traditional carmakers like Daimler have been pushing to develop vehicles to compete for market share.
The pressure to outdo Tesla has been heightened by tighter emissions standards in the European Union and China, and the decision by a growing number of countries to start banning sales of new petrol or diesel cars as early as 2030.
(Reporting By Nick Carey; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
