IBM-Developed “Stolen Vehicle Help” for Mercedes me, Now Available for U.S. Customers

IBM and Mercedes-Benz announced that a new feature called “Urban Guard-Stolen Vehicle Help” is now available in the Mercedes.me app. As the name suggests, the feature is meant to help with tracking and recovering stolen cars. Since it’s vital to act as fast as possible in case a theft occurs, the feature allows the car owner to immediately share vehicle position data with law enforcement.

So, how does this work? First of all, the Stolen Vehicle Help service needs to be activated as soon as the car is purchased, so that it can collect vehicle and customer data that will be important in the event of a theft. Then, if this does occur, the owner has to start the service’s assistance, by confirming their data and calling the police.

All of this is done fast and easy, through the app. The relevant information, plus the vehicle’s live location are shared with law enforcement, via a service partner that’s authorized to communicate with police stations all over the world. The entire process was carefully designed to provide optimal customer experience in case a theft occurs, and security for sharing live data.

This service is based on a previous collaboration between IBM and Daimler, for connected car services such as ready.to, which includes a digital early warning system against theft. The app informs the owner if the car left a defined area, shares the vehicle’s coordinates with the police, and keeps the owner informed on the status of the investigation.

The good news is that Stolen Vehicle Help, which was launched for European customers at the end of last year, is now available in North America and Asia Pacific. The bad news is that the availability is limited to select states.