2018 Mercedes-Benz A-Class gains wireless Apple CarPlay

Mercedes-Benz will introduce wireless Apple CarPlay in the new fourth-generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

Revealed last week, and due in Australia in the third quarter of 2018, the new A-Class pushes new boundaries in terms of infotainment.

The car will debut of Mercedes-Benz’s ‘MBUX’ infotainment unit, which uses artificial intelligence to create an intuitive and simple voice-recognition system.

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But that’s not the only advancement for the A-Class, with Georges Messing, Director of User Interaction at Daimler, telling Australian media that Mercedes-Benz will introduce the cordless smartphone mirroring with the A-Class

“In our entry level-system you will be able to do wireless CarPlay,” he said.

“Our medium and high-end cars will also have wireless phone charging as a feature.”

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Until recently, Apple CarPlay could only be activated when the phone is plugged into the car via a cord, however an iOS 9 update meant the smartphone mirroring app could be used without a physical connection.

Wireless Apple CarPlay was first introduced to the Australian market by BMW, with Volkswagen also rumoured to be working on introducing the system.

The MBUX system would traditionally be introduced on a flagship Mercedes-Benz sedan like the E- or S-Class, however Messing explained the German manufacture was keen to get tech-savvy A-Class owners the first taste.

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“The main drivers for implementing MBUX first in the A-Class is about appealing to the younger demographic,” he added.

“We had to come and talk to young people and saw the adoption of this kind of technology for young people is so easy, so that is why it will debut in the A-Class.

“We say, ‘Okay, this is a very high-end system we are bringing in, but yeah, we will bring it with the A-Class’.”