You'll be able to talk to the next generation of cars and they will talk back, if Mercedes-Benz has anything to do with it. Edward Stephens reports.

Asking your car if you will need to take your raincoat with you the next day would, for obvious reasons, normally be a one-sided conversation.

But in the not too distant future if it’s a Mercedes-Benz you are talking to, you will get an answer.

The response will probably be something like: “No you won’t. There is no rain showing in your area tomorrow.”

It may sound like science fiction but it’s very much science fact. And should you want to know how the FTSE 100 is doing as you drive home, all you will have to do is ask.

You may remember the cult television series Knight Rider, in which the star was a thinking, talking car. Well now Kitt is not alone.

The ongoing development of Telematics in Mercedes vehicles is bringing everything you can do on your smartphone – and more – to the car.

The latest technology means that new apps will allow you when visiting a strange city, to ask your car for information on the best car park to use, find out how much it will cost and even what time it closes all before you arrive.

Having decided on the best one you simply ask the system to guide you to its location.

And, in a major bit of one-upmanship, the German luxury car maker has just become the first manufacturer to have full integration with Facebook on its vehicles. That means that, via Facebook, you can ask your Mercedes where any of your “friends” are at any given time and then get the vehicle to navigate a route to their location.

For a lot of people unrestricted access to information has become an indispensable part of their daily lives. And as more and more people are spending increasing amounts of time in their cars they are anxious to stay fully networked while on the move, and Mercedes is going that extra mile to ensure they can.

Customers can now get convenient in-car internet access in numerous models in the Mercedes range by ordering their cars with the COMAND Online multimedia system, introduced this year, for around £2,300 plus VAT.

And the inventor of the automobile is already working on the next generation with its seamless telematics strategy @yourCOMAND, which showcases the concept of a comprehensive “cloud-based” system in its new F125 hydrogen powered concept vehicle.

COMAND Online uses the drivers own smartphone as the means of accessing the internet, which means there is no need for a second SIM card, so any costs are charged through the existing mobile contract, which in many cases today includes a data flat rate.

Another good reason for using the mobile phone as the medium is that it’s normally around seven years before a car is replaced by its successor, while the newest phone is often succeeded within months of coming to the market.

“Our system uses the driver’s own end device, docked in via Bluetooth as the intermediary,” said Stephan Wolfsried, head of electrics, electronics and chassis at Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.