automobile
Mercedes-Benz: Automated driving in luxury sedans
From next year onwards, Mercedes-Benz will enable highly automated driving in series luxury sedans of the S-Class and will therefore be an industry pioneer from its own point of view. Photo: Mercedes-Benz Ag / MediaPortal Daimler AG / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
When it comes to automated driving, Mercedes-Benz wants to be one step ahead. The first limousines should be on the road soon. But for the time being they only take over driving under certain conditions.
Starting next year, Mercedes-Benz will enable highly automated driving in series luxury sedans of the S-Class.
In the event of traffic jams on certain sections of the autobahn, for example, the driver could hand over responsibility to the vehicle, said Daimler board member Markus Schäfer on Thursday in Sindelfingen near Stuttgart. As a pioneer in the industry, Mercedes-Benz received approval from the Federal Motor Transport Authority.
Schäfer, who, as the so-called Chief Technology Officer, is responsible for development and purchasing, spoke of pioneering work and a breakthrough: Mercedes-Benz is the first manufacturer where “highly automated driving is going into series production in Germany”. For the first time in the 130-year history of the automobile, the vehicle takes on “the dynamic driving task” under certain conditions. The technology should also be introduced in the USA and China.
Automated driving is possible at speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour. Under certain conditions, the driver can watch films or surf the Internet. “He mustn’t sleep,” said Schäfer. A price for the new system has not yet been determined.