Last week in Germany, Mercedes-Benz put their new E class sedan on display, which features a list of next-level safety and automatic driving features. If you’re a fan of cars, you won’t be surprised by this news, since Mercedes has already pioneered quite of a few of today’s most common safety features.
Read on for a brief history of Mercedes’ safety inventions, as well as to learn more about the features of the new E class sedan.
Mercedes’ Automotive Safety Legacy
There’s a reason that throughout the years, Mercedes vehicles have rated first in class for safety. The German carmaker is responsible for inventing many of the safety features that have become standard in the automotive industry today.
If you’re hoping to enroll in car sales training and were thinking of one day working in a Mercedes dealership, then here’s a brief introduction to the company’s major safety inventions over the years:
- 1951: Mercedes conceptualized the crumple zone, which allows areas of a vehicle’s structure to absorb energy in a collision.
- 1971: Mercedes patented the air bag. The air bag was first put into production in 1981.
- 1978: Mercedes introduced the Antilock Braking System (ABS) to the world, which enables drivers to retain steering control during emergency braking.
- 1984: The carmaker introduced seat-belt emergency tensioning devices (ETDs), which deploy during an accident to pick up seat belt slack.
- 1998: Mercedes became the first carmaker to introduce side curtain airbags.
- 2005: Mercedes introduced Night View Assist, which utilizes infrared headlights and a front-mounted camera to display oncoming obstacles on the road on an 8″ screen. The system can pick up body heat and display humans and animals from up to 160m away during night driving.
- 2010: Mercedes invented a system called Active Blind Spot Assist that uses radar sensors to check the vehicle’s blind spots so drivers don’t have to turn their heads when changing lanes or making a turn.
It may seem to some aspiring auto technicians that these more advanced features might be tough to service or repair—but German practical engineering makes Mercedes-Benz vehicles a dream for any automotive mechanic!
All-New Automotive Safety Features on the 2016 E class
If you’re impressed by the carmaker’s previous safety innovation accomplishments, then what they have in store for 2016 will blow you away!
Michael Hafner, director of advanced drive assistance systems and active safety for Mercedes stated that the new features will also be upgradable as technology advances. Here’s a look at some of what the 2016 E class will have in store:
- Better sensors and improved functionality for cameras and radars.
- With a smartphone app, the vehicle’s doors can be opened, mirrors adjusted and the vehicle can even be moved in and out of tight parking spots from 10 feet away.
- The radio emits an ear-protecting white noise when impact is unavoidable to save passengers from ear damage associated with the loud noise of a collision.
- Active brake assist that can give braking assistance if needed and also automatically apply the brakes in an emergency.
With futuristic safety features and an improved assisted driving system, cars like the Mercedes E class makes it even more appealing to become an auto mechanic. The series will become available for sale in Canada by spring, 2016.
Check out a demo of the remote parking pilot feature:
