Aston Martin finally updates its outdated infotainment system

Now the automaker is preparing to catch up with a modern infotainment system to be rolled out across its portfolio, starting this spring with the arrival of its next generation of sports cars.

Historically, infotainment hasn't been a high priority for high-performance automakers. That's especially true for Aston Martin, an independent company with a small budget that prioritized performance and luxury touches, not screens.

Aston Martin is a public company with the majority of its shares owned by a consortium of investors that includes Mercedes-Benz and the Canadian billionaire Lawrence stroll, who joined Aston Martin as chief executive in 2020.

The company does not have the kind of financial backing that giants like Volkswagen AG, which owns Lamborghini and Bentley, have access to. Instead, Aston Martin has for years relied on its partnership with Mercedes-Benz to provide the British marque with an earlier version of the software and operating system.. The German giant switched from the COMAND system for its own models in 2018 in favor of its new MBUX infotainment.

"Mercedes gave us the reliability, but the user interface that the consumer expects in the luxury market now has to go much further," he said. Alex Long, head of product and market strategy at Aston Martin. "I think it is always difficult for small manufacturers to develop competitive solutions in the market."

Aston Martin is finally ready to swap out its touchpad controls for touchscreens, a move most automakers made years ago.

The reason is twofold: the industry-wide transition to software-based electric vehicles relies on sophisticated dashboard electronics; Meanwhile, progress continually raises customer expectations for what an infotainment system should provide.

Aston Martin's next-generation system features a "much more advanced" user experience and user interface, creative director Marek Reichman said. "With electrification, UX and UI is our price of entry."