There’s still a long way to go until the next Mercedes-Benz E-Class generation will be revealed, but the Stuttgart grand brand is disclosing it bit by bit. The latest indiscretion happened in an event wherein the upcoming car was displayed, all covered up in the famous black and white camouflage.
Mercedes-Benz fitted in their upcoming E-Class the top technology the automotive world may not even be ready for. With the new E-Class, the driver’s smartphone becomes the ignition key. A simple tap on the display of the smartphone that features NFC (near-field communication) can lock or unlock the executive limousine. The simple gesture of placing the smartphone on the cradle enables ignition.
Before the full autonomous driving will hit the road, there is something else taking the E-Class closer to that moment. There is a Remote Parking Pilot function, similar to the Remote Control Parking function featuring in the BMW 7 Series, but it comes with extra abilities, as it is capable of both parallel and perpendicular parking, not only driving into and out of a tight parking spot. All done with the driver outside the car. Now you’re sure that nothing will scratch the paint off your brand new Benz.
The app can also integrate personal settings, such as adjusting seating and mirror positions.
Mercedes-Benz is boating even more in its upcoming E-Class. The headlights will be an evolution of the facelifted CLS Multibeam adaptive LED technology. The number of diodes is now going up from 24 to 84, providing expanded reach of light, enabling curve-following lighting or increased spread for low-speed driving.
The people in Stuttgart are also setting innovative safety technology in their next E. The Active Brake Assist system will be able to scan other lanes for other cars, initiating the braking procedure sooner, in case it detects evasive action by its Evasive Steering Assist function. The system will also detect cross traffic and brake accordingly to avoid collision, but definitely not make any moral decisions. Steering left or right is totally in the hands of the driver.
The Distronic adaptive cruise control is now called Distance Pilot Distronic and comes with the ability of slowing down or speeding up according to the speed limits detected by a camera and by the navigation system. The Active Lane Keeping Assist is now functional up to speeds of 200 km/h and it works even on unmarked roads, as it can simply tail cars ahead, while scanning the roadside to detect reflector posts, barriers or constructions under 100 km/h.
Integrated in the Pre-safe system, the Pre-safe sound function beeps if a collision is not preventable. The sound stimulates the inner ear muscle. Mercedes-Benz claims that the triggering of the sound can minimize hearing damage from the accident.
A Pre-Safe Impulse Side, using the seats’ inflatable side bolsters, pushes the passengers towards the center of the car, shifting them away from the impact point, in the case of a side collision.
As for the gadgets part, the E-Class is taking baby steps to car-to-car communication. The executive limousine will be capable of identifying incoming data and of sending various information to other cars, regarding the road conditions, accidents or disabled vehicles.
As for technical details, check them out right here!
Photo credits: Autoblog.
