Increasingly complex car electronics have been so hard to ‘de-bug’ that top executives say Mercedes-Benz is modifying its first-at-all-costs approach to technology, according to Automotive News Europe (ANE).
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Quality glitches caused by Mercedes’ Comand system proved maddeningly difficult to fix two years ago, forcing the car maker to boost product testing by 50%.
Problems with Comand, which integrates the on-board satellite navigation, entertainment system and phone, forced Mercedes to buy back 2,000 E-class saloons from US customers. The quality glitches also created tensions with Germany-based Robert Bosch, a key Mercedes supplier.
This is the first time Mercedes-Benz has acknowledged the widespread quality problems.
“We have a problem because we are the technology leader,” said Juergen Hubbert, DaimlerChrysler board member responsible for Mercedes, Maybach and Smart. “We were not talking about [the improvement] because you have to see it. On the next survey you will see we are on our way.”
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By GlobalDataHubbert was referring to JD Power’s most recent Initial Quality Survey, which measures a vehicle’s quality three months after it is purchased.
The US survey, which was released last spring, ranked Mercedes No. 15 among brands, barely above the industry average.
