Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America will open the doors to its sixth R&D lab this fall, in the heart of downtown Seattle, Washington. The new digital hub is planning to expand to 150 people.

At its latest operations center software experts will focus on Cloud Computing to expand and enhance connected car functionality in Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Mercedes-Benz’s R&D facilities are designed for creative, collaborative work, with an open and flexible environment to allow their employees to push boundaries, company officials said.

Sajjad Khan, Head of Digital Vehicle & Mobility at Daimler said about this expansion, "Mercedes-Benz is constantly striving for best products and customer experiences world-wide, that means also delivering connected and intelligent solutions which are based on state-of-the-art technology, that, and the respective experts, is what we'll find here in Seattle."

Mike Dosenbach, who will head the center said, "We believe Seattle is the right spot to attract the best cloud talent for us," said Mike. "As the first OEM with a lab for Cloud Development in Seattle, we commit to this area and see the new office as a long-term investment."

Mercedes-Benz' global network of Research and Development facilities is kept continuously up-to-date. 25 locations in 11 countries are vital in mastering the challenges of the future, to anticipate and recognize customers' demands, and to act flexibly and quickly. Fascinating products, and state-of-the-art technologies and innovations can be delivered in shorter development time.

MBRDNA is headquartered in Silicon Valley since 1995, with key areas of Autonomous Driving, Advanced Interaction Design, Digital User Experience, Machine Learning, Costumer Research, and the Lab1886 Incubator. In Redford, Michigan, the focus is on powertrain and eDrive technology as well as in Long Beach, where the E-Mobility Group helps to shape the future of the North American market for hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric vehicles.

The Testing and Regulatory Affairs Division in Ann Arbor and the Advanced Vehicle Design in Carlsbad complete the competence center. Together, all 500 developers, technicians, engineers and designers take on the challenges of creating the next generation of intelligent vehicles.