With Gemini on Android Auto still waiting in the wings, Google and Mercedes show what it can do inside a real production car.
Later, when Basra joins the drive, he asks the Gemini-powered assistant to find an Italian restaurant and check whether it has a good wine list. The car then offers to call the restaurant so he can ask about their selection, showing yet another example of how naturally the Gemini-powered assistant handles conversational tasks.
That’s about as much as Google and Mercedes revealed in the video, but even this short demo gives us a good sense of Gemini’s in-car experience that Google first announced a few months ago.
According to Google, the Mercedes CLA will be the first production vehicle to feature this particular technology, with a US launch planned before the end of 2025.
What about Gemini on Android Auto?
Back in May, Google announced that Gemini would be coming to both Android Auto and cars with Google built-in. At the time, the company said Gemini would roll out to Android Auto-supported vehicles “in the coming months,” and to cars with Google built-in “later this year,” including models like the new Lincoln Nautilus, Renault R5, and Honda Passport.
However, that rollout hasn’t materialized yet. In July, we noticed that Android Auto had quietly started replacing references to “Google Assistant,” signaling Google’s ongoing transition from Assistant to Gemini across its ecosystem. Still, there’s no clear timeline for when Gemini will officially start arriving on Android Auto or cars with Google built-in. It’s possible we’ll see it launch after the technology debuts in the Mercedes CLA.
