MBUX Sound Drive from will.i.am and Mercedes is no CES ‘concept’, but instead a real product launching in the next few months.

Something I initially saw blowing up on short-form platforms, before digging a little deeper and realising this is no typical CES concept, that will never realistically see the light of day, but an actual feature that’s coming mid-2024. MBUX Sound Drive is a collaboration between music music artist will.i.am and luxury car brand Mercedes, coming to the AMG and Benz in-car entertainment systems.

Essentially Sound Drive a handful of specially adapted tracks that react to driving characteristics in real-time. Accelerating, braking, energy recuperating and steering angle all contribute to changes in the tracks rhythm and speed.

Sound Drive is launching in mid-2024 to Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with second-generation MBUX systems.

While it seems super gimmicky, I can also see this as a neat party trick. Please enjoy the weird tech conference/rap introduction below from will.i.am. Find “The Making of MBUX SOUND DRIVE” here.

At Mercedes-Benz, we want digital innovation to bring a smile to our customers’ faces through exciting new features that make a real difference to every journey. With MBUX Sound Drive, AMG drivers are in control of the way their music sounds. It makes in-car entertainment much more immersiv

Markus Schäfer, CTO, Mercedes

I’m excited to see how composers, producers, and songwriters will harness this to create new works and reimagine classics for motorist to drive to. MBUX Sound Drive is not only a new frontier for music creation, but also opens up fresh, exciting and interactive listening experiences for drivers.

will.i.am