Mercedes-Benz has enhanced its DRIVE PILOT system, achieving approval from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority. This marks a key milestone as the conditionally automated driving system (SAE Level 3) is set for its sales release in early 2025 in Germany. Available for the S-Class and EQS luxury saloon ranges, DRIVE PILOT, starting at €5,950 (incl. VAT), remains the fastest certified system of its kind in standard production vehicles. Existing vehicles equipped with DRIVE PILOT can receive the update free of charge via Over-the-Air-Update or at authorized workshops, without any hardware modifications.
With the latest update, DRIVE PILOT can operate in flowing traffic at speeds of up to 95 km/h across Germany’s 13,191 km-long Autobahn network under specific conditions. Drivers can legally focus on other activities, such as streaming movies via Sony’s RIDEVU app, reading, working, or relaxing, making automated driving not just safer but more productive and enjoyable.
“With innovative technologies from Mercedes‑Benz, we always want to offer our customers added value. When DRIVE PILOT is activated, it is possible to concentrate on other things while the car takes over the driving task. With the further developed version, which has now been certified by Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority, this is also possible at 95 km/h in Germany under certain conditions. It makes me very proud that the world’s fastest system for conditionally automated driving is coming from Mercedes‑Benz. I am confident that with our safety-focused approach we are right on track to celebrate more automated driving milestones soon.” said, Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes‑Benz Group AG, Chief Technology Officer, Development & Purchasing
