Stuttgart/Las Vegas. At CES 2024, Mercedes-Benz, Audible and Amazon Music announce a unique collaboration that ushers in a new and exciting chapter of in-car storytelling and music listening. Mercedes-Benz customers will soon be able to immerse themselves in audio storytelling in addition to music in Dolby Atmos. This new dimension of listening pleasure marks another first for Mercedes-Benz in-car entertainment. The riders are wrapped in multi-dimensional sound of exceptional clarity that places them in the centre of the story.
“This collaboration with Audible and Amazon Music is another important facet of the digital experience in a Mercedes-Benz. Immersive audio storytelling enables our customers to benefit fully from the advanced sound technology in our vehicles. For us, unparalleled in-car entertainment is a further dimension of the hyper-personalised user experience.”
Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management at Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Chief Technology Officer
The basis for the collaboration is the integration of the immersive Dolby Atmos audio experience in the Burmester 4D and 3D Surround Sound System. Both are available as options in Mercedes-Benz vehicles with the latest MBUX infotainment system. The incorporation of the Audible and Amazon Music apps in MBUX gives customers who have a subscription to these providers immediate access to a continuously growing choice of audio books, Originals, podcasts and music in Dolby Atmos. Audible and Amazon Music subscribers also have access to the entire catalogue of both streaming services. Imagine listening to your favourite author, podcast host or musician in such a fully immersive way that it feels like they are in the car with you. This is audio storytelling as never experienced before in a car.
“Mercedes-Benz is an ideal innovative industry leader for Audible and Amazon Music to work with on evolving in-car entertainment. Vehicles are one of the places people spend the most time listening to audio storytelling and music. Bringing our brands together allows us to innovate the audio experience for customers, transforming it into something more emotional, immersive and unexpected.”
Steve Boom, Amazon VP for Audio, Twitch and Games
With more than 850,000 audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals in its global catalogue, Audible is the leading producer and provider of premium audio storytelling and the go-to ‘storyteller’ for millions of people around the world. Audible offers dozens of titles in Dolby Atmos and with a growing global catalogue, listeners can feel the stories surrounding them in next-level detail, depth and clarity, from cinematic blockbusters narrated by a stellar cast of actors like The Sandman Act III, to original reimagining of classics like David Copperfield, and immersive natural soundscapes found in The Healing Power of Nature.
Rollout starts in Q3 2024 via over-the-air (OTA) update for customers of the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class and CLE Coupé und Cabriolet with 3rd-generation MBUX. Further rollout is planned for successive models in the future. Amazon Music in Dolby Atmos has been available in all models built since December 2023 onward with 2nd-generation MBUX. Customers with Audible and Amazon Music accounts can access both apps and their respective content available in Dolby Atmos.
Visitors to the Mercedes-Benz CES booth are invited to join for a series of entertaining and informative talks about class-defining tech. On January 9, Magnus Östberg, Chief Software Officer at Mercedes-Benz AG, will share the stage with Amazon’s VP for Audio, Twitch and Games, Steve Boom, and award-winning audio storytelling producer, Dirk Maggs. Together, they will look at how the new collaboration is going to change storytelling on the road and beyond. Visitors can also experience the unparalleled Mercedes-Benz in-car sound experience in a Dolby Atmos-equipped E-Class at the booth.