The 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan won’t be unveiled officially until January, but the company showed off a camouflaged prototype at a Technology Day briefing in Germany yesterday.
Needless to say, Mercedes-Benz vehicles aren’t exactly in our traditional wheelhouse here at OnAllCylinders, but the new E-Class could offer a preview of what’s to come for all vehicles in the future. The car will offer new and expanded safety features and self-driving capabilities that, depending on their success and popularity, could end up on your favorite late-model performance car or truck down the road. If the E-Class serves as an automotive crystal ball, here’s what could be coming to a vehicle near you in the future:
- Intelligent Drive combines adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance to maintain a safe distance from cars ahead.
- Speed Limit Pilot can automatically adjust speed to match local limits, either through navigation or by reading roadside speed limit signs.
- Evasive Steering Assist calculates and supplies necessary torque when steering to avoid an accident.
- Remote Parking Pilot allows drivers to use a smartphone app from outside the car to self-park.
- Vehicle-to-X Communications exchanges information with other similarly equipped vehicles, giving drivers warning about hazardous situations ahead.
- Smartphone Locking allows you to lock and unlock the driver’s side door by simply tapping your smartphone against the handle—no keys required.
- Multi-Beam Headlights with 84 LED bulbs feature digitally controlled beams to illuminate only what needs to be seen, and adjust at a rate of 100 times per second.
- Pre-Safe Impulse Side Function uses airbags on the side of the seat to push a person toward the center of the vehicle during side impact.
To learn more about each of these features, check out Motor Trend’s article on the 2017 E-Class.
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