Mercedes overhauls S-Class seeking tech leadership

SINDELFINGEN, Germany -- Mercedes-Benz hopes to regain technological leadership in the upper-premium sedan segment from Tesla when it launches the next-generation S-Class at the end of the year.

"The S-Class is the icon of the brand,” Daimler CEO Ola Källenius told reporters in the halls of Factory 56 near Stuttgart, where the car will be built.The new S-Class, internally referred to as V223, will have a virtual assistant able to both converse with the driver as well as take full control in congested highway traffic.

The latest S-Class is scheduled to arrive in German showrooms in December. U.S. and China market launches are expected in February.

Mercedes sold more than half a million units of the current generation flagship sedan, which debuted in 2013. The success of the high-margin model coincided with the brand’s resurgence, as it regained the title of world's best-selling premium brand after trailing rival BMW for years.

More than a third of S-Class customers are in China, and the model’s owners are disproportionately more loyal to the brand.

But the S-Class has been eclipsed by the Tesla Model S in key North America and European markets. The California EV specialist has convinced a large number of wealthy buyers that it is the industry's biggest innovator.

According to JATO Dynamics, the S-Class ranked first in the upper-premium segment in Europe in the first half, with 2,138 sales, ahead of the BMW 7 Series and Audi A7. However, during the same period Tesla sold 2,469 units of the Model S in Europe, which would have made it No. 1 in the segment had it not been an EV.

With the new S-Class family, Mercedes aims to restore its reputation as an innovator with its own software-based features.

Up to 50 different in-car systems including a proprietary, second-generation MBUX infotainment system, which is debuting in the new S-Class, can now be updated over-the-air.

With its new “eyes-off” Drive Pilot, Mercedes plans to take autonomous driving further than Tesla’s so-called Full Self Driving Level 2 assistance system marketed under the name Autopilot.

Thanks to new government regulations in many parts of the world, Mercedes says the S-Class will be able to offer a true Level 3 self-driving system, expected in the second half of next year.

It will allow drivers to switch on a highway pilot at speeds of up to 60 km/h initially, allowing them to read email or surf the Internet. It is based on a recently adopted regulation governing automated lane-keeping.

The feature initially can be activated only in Germany, as other European markets have not passed legislation for nationwide use.

Occupants can talk to the vehicle using a more advanced form of natural speech. A demonstration showed that a driver using the activation phrase can say, for example, "Hey Mercedes. I'm bored," upon which the vehicle suggests playing a geography quiz.

Experts say such virtual assistants can help bind customers more emotionally to a vehicle -- and therefore, the brand.

The 12.8-inch central console, with one of up to five displays in the front and rear of the sedan, is roughly 64 per cent larger than in the previous S-Class. A portrait format offers crisper resolution and brighter colors thanks to organic light emitting diodes.

The cockpit display behind the steering wheel is 12.3 inches.

The S-Class comes optional with a head-up display that overlaps navigational directions onto the windshield through augmented reality. Mercedes says the effect is equivalent in size to a 77-inch diagonal display. 

Drivers can save individual profiles to avoid adjusting various systems each time. The S-Class can identify either through speech, fingerprint analysis or facial recognition software who is operating the vehicle and adjust the seating and steering preferences upon entry.

At night, a new Digital Light feature can cast symbols onto the road with the help of intelligent front headlights that play a black and white video, much like a movie projector. The S-Class could, for example, display an image of a bulldozer to alert the driver to a construction site in the darkness, or illuminate a pedestrian on the side of the road to warn of an upcoming hazard.

BLIND SPOT DETECTION

Mercedes says it has also further developed the car's blind spot detector. Should a driver open a door as a cyclist is about to pedal by, ambient lighting in the door panel flashes red to warn the exiting occupant and prevent an accident.

Mercedes has not neglected the interior. With the new S-Class, designers aimed to create characteristics of a lounge.

While the more popular long-wheelbase version gained 34 mm in length, the wheelbase has grown by 51 mm to 3,216 mm, for more space in the cabin.

The front seats have up to 19 separate motors for adjustments, air circulation and massage features. In tandem with inflatable air bladders built into the backrest, the vehicle offers 10 massage programs that are ergonomically certified.

Mercedes says the S-Class’s handling is also improved thanks to new rear axle features, which among other things have reduced the turning radius for the long-wheelbase version by almost two meters to 10.9 meters, far better than most cars its size.

An electric 48-volt pump replaces the previous hydraulic one to more quickly adjust ride height. In combination with the air suspension, Mercedes says it offers a smoother ride, since it can continuously adjust to various road surfaces.