Mercedes is working on an all-new S-Class and
company’s next CEO has confirmed the model will arrive in 2020 with Level 3
semi-autonomous driving technology. Speaking to Auto News Europe, Ola
Kaellenius said “We are on the verge of jumping to Level 3, which is our target
for the next S-Class.” He went on to say the system will be optional on the
company’s flagship sedan and noted the technology will spread “relatively
quickly” to other models.
While the Audi A8 became the first German luxury
sedan to offer Level 3 semi-autonomous driving technology, Mercedes still
expects to beat BMW to the punch. Since the production version of the iNext
isn’t due to arrive until 2021, Kaellenius said the “timeframe should be
realistic” for Mercedes to beat their arch enemy to market.
Level 3 systems are a significant improvement over
Level 2 systems which include Cadillac’s Super Cruise, Tesla’s Autopilot and
Mercedes’ current technology. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) says
Level 3 systems offer “conditional automation” which means the driver is “not
required to monitor the [driving] environment,” but “must be ready to take
control of the vehicle at all times with notice.” This as opposed to Level 2
systems where the SAE says “the driver must remain engaged with the driving
task and monitor the environment at all times.”
Kaellenius didn’t go into specifics about the
S-Class’ Level 3 system, but he has previously said the technology will be
priced similarly to other options on the S-Class. That’s not too specific, but
the Driver Assistance Package on the S450 is a US$ 2,250 option.
Little else is known about the model, but previous
spy photos have shown the sedan will have an evolutionary design and a new
interior with an even larger digital instrument cluster.
