Bumper-to-bumper traffic slowed to a crawl, finding a space in a crowded garage, or squeezing into a tight parking spot is no fun for any driver. To ease such tedious aspects of driving, companies from Mercedes-Benz to Continental AG (CON) are rolling out systems that take over the wheel.
Daimler AG (DAI)’s Mercedes is leading the way with an add-on called “Stop&Go Pilot” available in its top-of-the-line S-Class sedan. Backed by an array of 12 ultrasonic detectors, five cameras and six radar sensors, the 79,800-euro ($105,800) S-Class can match the speed of the car in front of it, even coming to a complete stop and steering to stay in the lane. The feature costs 2,678 euros in Germany.
Sitting back to read emails or watch a video as the car takes you to your destination — a scenario envisioned by the likes of Google Inc. (GOOG) — is years away. But the Mercedes option and others being readied by rivals such as Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) and Volvo Cars (175) show that the roll-out is under way.
“Autonomous drive won’t come as a revolution overnight,” said Jochen Hermann, director of driver-assistance systems at Mercedes. “The driver needs to get used to the technology.”