Mercedes 2015 Annual Report Download - page 28

Less stress and greater safety and driving pleasure:
next-generation driver-assistance package
The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class comes with Active Brake
Assist as standard equipment. This system is able to warn
the driver of an impending crash situation, provide support
during emergency braking and, if necessary, automatically
brake the vehicle itself. It can detect other vehicles as well
as pedestrians crossing in front of the car. Also included as
standard are ATTENTION ASSIST with adjustable sensitivity
and Crosswind Assist.
Highlights of the optional driver assistance package
include proven and extensively refined systems such as
Active Lane Keeping Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist
and PRE-SAFE® PLUS — as well as numerous groundbreak-
ing innovations that are bringing autonomous driving
within reach.
DRIVE PILOT: a further technological step toward
autonomous driving
DRIVE PILOT automatically keeps the car at a proper
distance behind other vehicles on highways and secondary
roads, and — for the first time — it can also follow vehicles
at a speed of up to 210 km/h. The driver thus no longer
needs to operate the brake or gas pedal and also receives
steering support from Steering Pilot — even in slight curves.
Another unique feature is that the system can continue
to intervene actively at speeds up to 130 km/h by taking
account of surrounding vehicles and parallel structures,
even if there are no visible lane markings. DRIVE PILOT
therefore makes driving easier, especially in traffic jams
or on congested roads.
Another new development for reducing stress is the Speed
Limit Pilot, which can independently adjust the vehicle’s
speed in line with speed limit signs detected by its camera
or speed limit information stored in the navigation system.
In the fast lane with Active Lane Change Assist
This new radar and camera-based subsystem of DRIVE
PILOT provides support during lane changes on multi-lane
roads. The driver simply engages the turn-indicator light for
at least two seconds, after which the new E-Class checks
the lane selected by the driver and then switches to it after
determining that it’s safe to do so.
Pedestrian protection: Evasive Steering Assist
If the driver deliberately or instinctively initiates an evasive
maneuver in a dangerous situation, this new feature sup-
ports the required steering movements and then helps the
driver straighten the vehicle’s course again.
PRE-SAFE® Impulse Side and PRE-SAFE® Sound
The PRE-SAFE® Impulse Side function is part of the PLUS
driver assistance package. If an imminent side collision is
detected, the function moves the driver or front passenger
as far away from the danger zone as possible.
PRE-SAFE® Sound emits a brief noise via the vehicle’s
sound system when the risk of a collision is identified.
This signal can trigger a protective reflex in the inner ear
and thus prepare the occupants’ ears for the noise from
the anticipated collision.
Car-to-x communication expands horizons
Back in 2013, Mercedes-Benz became the first manufac-
turer to introduce car-to-car connectivity in series-produc-
tion models through a retrofit solution. This has now been
followed by the launch of the world’s first fully integrated
car-to-x solution as standard equipment in the new E-Class.
The cell-phone-supported exchange of information with
other vehicles enables the driver to “see around corners”
or “through obstacles,” so to speak.
The benefits are clear, as drivers are warned more quickly
of potential dangers, such as a sudden traffic jam around
a bend, a broken-down vehicle at the side of the road, a
construction site ahead, or heavy rain and icy roads. The
new E-Class acts as a both a receiver and a transmitter
here, as warnings are conveyed either automatically or by
the driver to the back-end system.
Smartphone integration links the customer’s lifestyle
with the features of a modern business sedan
The workplace and private sphere have now been joined
by the new E-Class as a third realm in which smartphones
play a special role. New technologies are enabling wireless
antenna connections and smartphone recharging. Drivers
or passengers can place their phone onto an inductive port,
which then connects the phone to the multimedia system
via the near field communication (NFC) protocol. Another
advantage is that NFC transforms smartphones into digital
car keys.
In and out of parking spaces by remote control
with the Remote Parking Pilot
The new E-Class also makes another dream come true,
as it can be moved into and out of garages and parking
spaces via a smartphone, thereby making it easier for
occupants to enter and exit the vehicle.
Masterpiece of Intelligence
Special on the new E-Class.
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daimler.com/products/
specials/new-e-class/
Ahead of the competition with
a test license for autonomously
driving vehicles
The built-in intelligence of the new E-Class also
marks a milestone on the road to the self-driving
automobile — for Mercedes-Benz and for the
automotive industry as a whole. Current proof:
As the first series-production vehicle worldwide,
the new E-Class received a permit for autonomous
test drives in everyday traffic in advance of the
CES in Las Vegas. Since January 2016, three pro-
duction sedans (not prototypes) have been operating
on interstate and state highways in Nevada in the
United States.