Mercedes-Benz is entering a new dimension of motoring with its new S-Class and is raising the bar, in terms of production, for the automotive industry worldwide. For the official start-up of the luxury saloon in the Mercedes-Benz plant Sindelfingen, an S 560 4MATIC (fuel consumption, urban/extra/urban/combined: 11.8-11.6/7.1-6.8/8.8-8.5l/100 km; CO2 emissions, combined: 200-195 g/km) in Obsidian black metallic drove independently off the final assembly line, without a driver at the wheel.
The vehicle then drove automatically approximately 1.5 kilometres to the loading area within the plant. In order to ensure that the car reaches its destination reliably, newly developed and patented technology is used. Cameras, together with radar and ultrasonic sensors work in conjunction with powerful software to accelerate and brake the S-Class independently and ensure that it stays reliably on track.
Now that the technical prerequisites for automated driving from the assembly line to the loading area have been put in place, the Sindelfingen plant is currently piloting the possible use of the system for series production and investigating its further potential. The finished vehicles are currently driven from the assembly halls to the loading car parks by members of staff.
A shuttle service then brings the employees back to their starting point. The pilot test provides an opportunity to gather practical experience for the future of “autonomous driving” on public roads, which can be used in for further development.
