Mercedes-Benz will launch a new advanced driver-assistance system in the US later this year that lets its vehicles operate autonomously on city streets under driver supervision, the company said on Monday. The system, which enables a vehicle to drive from a parking lot to a destination, navigating city intersections, making turns and obeying traffic lights, is likely to pose competition to Tesla, the only carmaker that offers a similar product, called full self-driving (FSD), in the US. The Mercedes system, called MB.Drive Assist Pro, has been on sale in China since late last year.
The system will cost $3,950 (R64,511) for three years in the US. Customers can also choose monthly or yearly subscriptions, but pricing for those will be disclosed later. Tesla’s FSD package costs about $8,000 (R130,656) as a one-time purchase or $99 (R1,616) per month as a subscription.
Most carmakers limit self-driving features in personal vehicles to highways, where traffic patterns are more predictable. Cities pose tougher challenges, including pedestrians, cyclists and unexpected situations. Tesla is the only carmaker that, with its FSD system, allows self-driving on city streets.
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However, like Tesla, Mercedes’s system will require drivers to remain alert and ready to intervene at all times. The push by Mercedes into urban driving assistance shows how software advances are moving autonomous technology from limited testing towards commercial rollout. Safety concerns and regulation continue to constrain full autonomy in personal vehicles.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk previously said he would flood city streets with autonomous vehicles that needed no human intervention. That has not happened. Instead, Tesla has focused on incremental improvements in FSD and has launched a small robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, with safety monitors. Investors view autonomous technology as a potential long-term revenue driver for carmakers.
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