Munich Emotional outbursts are actually alien to Markus Schäfer. Daimler’s Chief Technology Officer is considered a sober engineer. At the beginning of December, however, the manager was unusually sensitive, even passionate. “The lunar module has landed,” said the 56-year-old, beaming with joy. His team had achieved a real “breakthrough”: “We are pioneers.”
Contrary to what Schäfer’s choice of words suggests, Daimler did not shoot a vehicle on the moon. But the Mercedes manufacturer has still achieved something spectacular: The Dax group has received the world’s first official approval for highly automated driving (level 3) and is thus approaching the dream of a robot car (level 5).
Anyone who buys a new S-Class or an EQS with the appropriate special equipment can be chauffeured autonomously on German autobahns in traffic jams or slow-moving traffic. According to information from the Handelsblatt, the Level 3 system should only be reserved for the particularly well-heeled customers of the two top models from Swabia for a few years.
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