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Daimler ponders partnerships with Apple, Google

Daimler Chairman Dieter Zetsche is willing to consider joint ventures with tech giants like Apple and Google. Don't expect the automaker's vehicles to become just another platform for their software, though. In an interview with a German magazine, the chairman admits "different types" of partnerships could be possible, according to Reuters. As vehicles become increasingly connected, greater expertise is necessary in creating their software. The changing market is an opportunity for tech companies to enter the auto industry. "Google and Apple want to provide system software for cars and bring this entire ecosystem around Apple and Google into the vehicle," Zetsche said, according to Reuters. "That can be interesting for both sides." Although, he was clear no deals had happened, yet. For automakers, the danger of this cooperation is for a vehicle to be just a physical device that runs the software. "We don't want to become contractors who have no direct content with customers any more and supply hardware to third parties," he said in the interview. Zetsche has been working out how to create this balance for a while. Earlier this year, he said that some partnerships with Silicon Valley firms could be helpful. However, data privacy remains a major concern, especially in the wake of multiple vehicle hacks in recent months. In the chairman's opinion, a Mercedes-Benz shouldn't just protect its occupants physically but also their personal information. Related Video:

Daily Driver: 2016 Mercedes-Maybach S600

Daily Driver videos are micro-reviews of vehicles in the Autoblog press fleet, featuring impressions from the staffers that drive them every day. Today's Daily Driver features the 2016 Mercedes-Maybach S600, reviewed by Adam Morath and Greg Migliore. You can watch the video above or read a transcript below. Watch more Autoblog videos at /videos. VIDEO TRANSCRIPTAdam: [00:00:03] Hi, I'm Adam Morath for Autoblog and I busted out the bowtie for today's Daily Driver because we are in a 2016 Mercedes-Maybach S600. Now, this is like the S-Class on caviar. They've taken one of the most refined vehicles in the world, dropped a V12 under the hood and added tons of content, but it's also one of the rare examples where the best place for review the car is not from the drivers' seat. I'm going to kick it back to my associate, [00:30:00] Greg Migliore to tell you a little bit more about this car.Greg: All right, well thanks, Adam. It's really great to be rolling around in Birmingham with my footmen... I mean co-worker, Adam. I'm in the back of the S600 here. This Maybach is spectacular in so many ways back here. I'm really up to my elbows, up to my waist in heated leather. Everything here is heated. It's a really, really, bespoke setting. Now, it's almost 3:00. I think, you know, happy hour is near. I could go for a drink. [00:01:00] The Maybach has you covered. Pop this right down, you're going to pull this out right here where my liquor is chilling and there is a nice faster right here in the center console where you can put your goblet down and these prongs stick out and wrap around the stem of the base, so you know, if Adam hits a bump here, hey, I'm cool, it's no problem. Now, while I'm back here, there's so many things I can do. There's a tablet in front of me. [00:01:30] There's a remote control, light very aerodynamic if there is such a thing for a remote. I'm going to tune up the radio here, put on some, I think I'll tune up the symphony hall, because that is what is appropriate in this vehicle. I can also queue up a massage if I would like. All jokes aside though. The Maybach is big business for Mercedes. They brought this name back recently because there's a different sort of value than just a standard S class and that actually allows them to capitalize [00:02:00] on a pretty lucrative market. It starts at about $190 and I can tell you for sure this is not an entry level car, so I'm sure we're looking at over $200, in that range, but you get a lot.

Mercedes may not be done with R-Class after all

The idea of blending a three-row SUV and a minivan into a luxury model like the Mercedes-Benz R-Class still seems wonderfully absurd, particularly when you consider that there was an AMG version of that German people-mover. Apparently, though, one of the brand's execs doesn't believe the concept behind the R-Class is all that bizarre. In fact, he thinks it could be time to try again. Wolf-Dieter Kurz, Mercedes' vice president in charge of SUVs and sports cars, believes that crossovers could be a major driver of product variants in the future due to their popularity. There are a lot of design possibilities to explore in the segment, in his opinion. "There was already one that we had in the portfolio – maybe we were too early – which was the R-Class, which we are still selling in China. It's doing good, with 12,000 to 14,000 units per year," Kurz said during the launch of the GLE and GLE Coupe, according to CarAdvice. Under a recent deal, the quirky model is made by AM General and exported out of the US. Kurz even suggested the exact niche that the new model might fill. "So let's say these more, let's say, on-road based but still very roomy, but not station wagon, is definitely an interesting segment also in the future," he said, according to CarAdvice. That almost sounds like a blend of wagon and SUV in a move not too dissimilar from the current Subaru Outback or the old R-Class. One hurdle for any future model reviving the concept of the R-Class is that the company is already bursting with CUVs. Every size is practically already filled with the GLA, GLC, GLE, and forthcoming GLS, plus Coupe variants for some of them.