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Home / Hot Stuff / Mercedes and will.i.am team up to turn your car into a musical instrument. Yep, it’s as weird as it sounds

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News, Cars & bikes

Mercedes and will.i.am team up to turn your car into a musical instrument. Yep, it’s as weird as it sounds

The new music system reacts to how you're driving to compose music on the fly.

Connor Jewiss Connor Jewiss
Mercedes and will.i.am MBUX Sound Drive

Listening to music while driving is so 2023. Or at least it is according to Mercedes and will.i.am. You can forget music streaming in the year ahead. The duo have teamed up again to create a new music system for your car. Dubbed MBUX Sound Drive, the idea is to turn your car into a musical instrument that can compose music on the fly. It reacts to how you’re driving, and plays music while you drive. And before you ask, yes – we are thinking what you’re thinking.

MBUX Sound Drive basically wants to turn your car into a virtual musical instrument. It does this with some clever software that reacts to how you’re driving. Think of it like this: you push the pedal, and your car goes vroom, right? How about, instead, it also news plays a tune. Steering, braking, even the rain on your windscreen can now have its own soundtrack. It’s like your car is trying to be the next Spotify, but with more seatbelts.

MBUX Sound Drive uses a bunch of sensors and some nifty software to interpret how you’re driving and then converts it into musical expressions. So, if you’ve ever fancied yourself as a bit of a composer but lacked the talent, here’s your chance! Not sure how this would actually work? One example Mercedes gave is that the windscreen wipers could play soothing rhythms during rainy weather to reduce stress and enhance concentration.

At launch, the music system will use sounds composed by will.i.am (who’d have guessed that?). But, the plan is to turn this tech into an open music platform. Artists could use Mercedes’ MBUX operating system to work on tracks specifically designed for Sound Drive. Imagine, artists from all over the world creating tracks for windscreen wipers. Yeah, we’re struggling too.

We’re not entirely sure what the point of this is, but maybe it’ll be cool when you’re behind the wheel? While it’s currently on show at CES, the MBUX Sound Drive roll-out is set to start from mid-2024. It’ll be available on Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with the second-generation MBUX system. Existing customers can get in on the action via an over-the-air update.

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About

Connor is a writer for Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. He has been writing for around six years now, with writing across the web and in print too. Connor has experience on most major platforms, though does hold a place in his heart for macOS, iOS/iPadOS, electric vehicles, and smartphone tech. Just like everyone else around here, he’s a fan of gadgets of all sorts! Aside from writing, Connor is involved in the startup scene. This exciting involvement puts him at the front of new and exciting tech, always on the lookout for innovating products.

Areas of expertise

Mobile, macOS, EVs, smart home