Mercedes-Benz is moving to expand the market by fully applying Autonomous Driving technology to mass-produced vehicles. Mercedes plans to debut in the United States this year a Level 2 (partial automation) Autonomous Driving vehicle that had been launched only in China, and to begin the first operations of a "robotaxi" that combines Nvidia's Autonomous Driving artificial intelligence (AI) model "Alphamayo" with the S-Class.
According to the automaking industry on the 25th, Mercedes-Benz has named its in-house driving assistance system "MB.Drive." It is equipped with "MB.Drive Assist Pro," a Level 2 Autonomous Driving technology. By combining driving assistance with navigation, it enables urban driving with a single operation. Mercedes explained that with 10 cameras, five radars, and 12 ultrasonic sensors, it can perform point-to-point driving that connects two locations by the shortest route.
The technology was developed through a partnership between Mercedes and Nvidia. As a partner for next-generation advanced driver-assistance systems, Nvidia provides its AI technology, driving software, and the Nvidia Drive AGX computing platform. Mercedes plans to offer MB.Drive Assist Pro across its latest models, from the The All-New CLA to the The All-New GLC and The New S-Class. Having begun supplying the technology only to the Chinese market late last year, it will also launch it in the United States this year.
Mercedes unveiled a differentiated Level 4 Autonomous Driving plan. Together with Nvidia, Autonomous Driving specialist Momenta, and Uber, it plans to build a robotaxi ecosystem based on the S-Class platform. Earlier, in December last year, Mercedes said it would roll out an S-Class unmanned shuttle service in collaboration with Momenta. Mercedes is currently conducting initial tests in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and plans to expand to other markets.
Last month, it also announced cooperation with Nvidia and Uber to build a robotaxi ecosystem. It will apply Nvidia's software "Nvidia Drive AV L4" and "Nvidia Drive Hyperion" to Mercedes' advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS). It also aims to enhance inference-based, safety-first autonomy through Nvidia's Autonomous Driving development solution Alphamayo, among others.
A Mercedes official said, "Mercedes is a corporations that in 2021 received approval to operate the Level 3 Autonomous Driving system 'Drive Pilot,' which enabled conditional Autonomous Driving on public roads," adding, "We will showcase enhanced Level 2 and Level 4 technologies."