• 3 min read
EV software is spreading to gas-powered SUVs
Mercedes is bringing software-defined vehicle technology to its 2027 GLE and GLS, showing SDVs can extend beyond EVs and luxury cars.
Image: TechRadar
Electric vehicles and software-defined vehicles (SDVs) have become closely linked. Tesla helped establish the model with the Model 3 in 2017, followed by Rivian, Lucid, and Chinese manufacturers. Legacy automakers took longer, but Hyundai Motor Group, General Motors, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz are now launching full SDVs.
What software-defined vehicles change
SDVs use software to enable core functions and improve them through over-the-air (OTA) updates. That extends well beyond navigation and infotainment: With a zonal architecture, every hardware module can potentially be updated remotely, enabling diagnostics and even recalls without a dealer visit.
The usual criticism is that SDVs will let automakers create needless subscription fees. But Rivian and Tesla already show another model: Both issue free monthly OTA updates that fix bugs and add features, while charging only for optional services such as higher data connectivity and advanced driver-assistance tiers.
Mercedes brings MB.OS to hybrid and combustion SUVs
Mercedes' refreshed 2027 GLE and GLS are the company’s first hybrid and combustion vehicles to use its SDV architecture—though Mercedes classifies them as partial SDVs. The SUVs run MB.OS across all four domains: infotainment, automated driving, body and comfort, and driving and charging. That matches the approach used by Mercedes' all-electric CLA and GLC.
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Earlier vehicles such as the current E-Class sedan and wagon used MB.OS only for navigation and infotainment. Mercedes says the GLE and GLS differ from its full SDVs in their underlying hardware, communications systems, software capabilities, and OTA deployment methods. They are nevertheless closer to full SDVs than any previous hybrid or combustion vehicle.
The SUVs include Mercedes' pillar-to-pillar Superscreen as standard, with three 12.3-inch displays for the driver, center console, and passenger behind one glass surface. A selfie camera supports video calls when the vehicle is stopped, as well as selfies. Apps such as Zoom can be downloaded from Mercedes' app store; a 3D instrument display and head-up display are optional.
The MBUX Virtual Assistant uses a generative AI system combining OpenAI’s ChatGPT4o, Microsoft Bing Search, and Google Cloud’s Automotive AI Agent, depending on the request. It can adjust climate and music, handle navigation, and answer general-knowledge questions.
Mercedes' MB.Drive Assist Pro, an NVIDIA-powered point-to-point Level 2+ ADAS, is also coming to the 2027 GLE and GLS. It launches first in China, followed by the US later this year. Similar to Tesla’s FSD, the system uses 10 cameras, five radar sensors, and 12 ultrasonic sensors.
SDVs move into more affordable vehicles
Mercedes is not the only company extending SDV technology beyond electric and luxury vehicles. Hyundai Motor Group is developing more affordable hybrid and combustion SDVs, supported by zonal architectures that need fewer modules and simpler wiring harnesses. Less copper can reduce both cost and weight.
Hyundai’s South Korean Grandeur sedan and Europe-bound IONIQ 3 SUV are its first proper SDVs. Both use the Android Automotive-based Pleos Connect navigation and infotainment platform, along with Hyundai’s App Market and the large language model-powered Gleo AI voice assistant. Pleos Connect, the App Market, and Gleo AI will also come to future Kia and Genesis vehicles.
Most affordable full SDVs being developed outside China are still EVs. Ford’s Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) platform will initially underpin an all-electric small truck priced at around $30,000, while Volkswagen’s European ID.1 city car will cost below €20,000. The ID.1's zonal architecture and software stack result from Volkswagen’s partnership with Rivian.
Hybrid and combustion vehicles are likely to remain on sale in the US for some time. Extending SDV platforms to those drivetrains could give automakers a consistent interface and reduce manufacturing complexity across their lineups—the same benefits that first made SDVs compelling in EVs.
Frontier Editor
Dan is our resident futurist, covering electric mobility, space exploration, and the smart home. He's interested in atoms just as much as bits. Whether it's a new battery chemistry, a reusable rocket, or a protocol that finally makes IoT devices talk to each other, Dan breaks down the engineering that pushes humanity forward.
via TechRadar
