Massive in-car screens? You ain't seen nothing yet, says Mercedes

All the new models on display at this year’s 2025 IAA Munich Motor Show have begun to reveal a divergence in how different manufacturers want us to interact with digital interfaces. Some, like Audi, are now chasing a cleaner and more minimalist approach, but Mercedes is going full steam ahead on dazzling screens and ambient lighting. This is evident in the new electric GLC and its near-one-metre-wide touchscreen display, and according to Mattias Geisen, Mercedes’ board member for sales and marketing, this won’t slow down with future models.  

In an exclusive conversation with Auto Express, he told us: “I think it’s important that we address different customer requirements. We don’t want to be innovative for the sake of being innovative. We want to be innovative where it makes sense for the customer. This screen gives us a great opportunity, not just to put in a big screen, but to allow the customer to customise their whole vehicle experience. It’s not just a big screen.”

This comes despite many brands, such as Audi and Volkswagen, turning away from over-sized displays in future. “But we will try to balance in a great way that you can combine the whole ambiance,” Geisen added. “We call it a welcome-home feeling, customised to what you basically want to have.”

Alongside the huge screens, though, Mercedes has acknowledged that some physical controls are still essential, with Geisen telling us: “You’ve got to blend it well [with physical controls]. It’s not good enough just to put in a big touchscreen, so that’s why we brought back real switches on the steering wheel, because it was something customers said they weren’t happy with. If you look in the centre console [of the new GLC], you’ll also see more for volume, etc. So more buttons.”

As a result larger cars, such as the GLC, will continue to retain more physical buttons, both because it is easier to package them in a larger cabin, and because the buying demographic tends to be older and therefore prefers physical controls to touchscreen or voice activation. If you’re in the market for a new or used Mercedes, GLC make sure to check out Auto Express’s Buy a Car service.

Mercedes' chief software officer Magnus Ostberg backed this up by telling us: “In the GLC, you saw we put back the rollers because we see data that these physical buttons are very important for certain age groups and certain populations, so having that balance between physical buttons and the touch is extremely important for us.”

“We’re really working on how we optimize it for the different regions, for the different age groups, and also for the different sizes of the vehicle.”

The pressure to add more digital real estate has been spurred on somewhat due to Chinese manufacturers and their emphasis on digital technologies that appeal to younger customers. However, this isn’t yet proven to be a widespread selling point for European brands, and has led to this fork in the road between manufacturers like Mercedes, who see a need for radical digitalisation, and those who are heading towards a more minimalist approach with fewer screens and less digital complexity.

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