Mercedes-Benz has unveiled its INTELLIGENT PARK PILOT (SAE Level 4) technology, introducing driverless parking capabilities for the EQE Saloon. This advanced parking feature is operational at Stuttgart Airport’s P6 parking garage. Additionally, Mercedes-Benz has extended this feature to already delivered EQS and S-Class models and has plans to include it in the upcoming E-Class.
Why It Matters
Introducing this highly automated parking system eliminates the need for drivers to search for parking spots and physically park their vehicles. This advancement saves time for Mercedes-Benz customers and elevates their parking experience, particularly in constrained parking spaces.
Key Points
- Convenience with Remote Parking: Owners can drive into a designated area in the parking garage, leave their car, and command it to park itself using the Mercedes me App.
- Automated Valet Parking: Drivers can initiate the parking maneuver through the app after ensuring all passengers have disembarked. Upon confirmation that the Automated Valet Parking infrastructure, developed with Bosch, has assumed control, the car will autonomously navigate to the reserved parking slot.
- Pick-Up Feature: On returning, customers can prompt their car to return from its parking spot to the pick-up area via their smartphone.
- Worldwide First: In November 2022, the combined effort of Mercedes-Benz and Bosch achieved the world’s inaugural approval for the commercial deployment of this driverless parking function in Germany. The APCOA parking garage at Stuttgart Airport is the first worldwide to offer this service to Mercedes-Benz patrons.
- Expanded Availability: Beyond the EQE Saloon, this driverless parking capability now encompasses all present EQS Saloon and S-Class models, except Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Maybach models. This expansion ensures a broader range of Mercedes-Benz customers can access this state-of-the-art feature.
- Future Prospects: The new E-Class, which is pre-equipped for INTELLIGENT PARK PILOT, is geared for Automated Valet Parking (SAE Level 4) with the potential to provide this highly automatic parking and unparking feature without a driver.
- Enhanced Parking Assistance: Alongside this, Mercedes-Benz offers semi-automated parking assistants (SAE Level 2) across all model series. Integrated within MBUX, this feature provides an intuitive user experience and a 360° camera view.
Bottom Line
Mercedes-Benz is pushing the boundaries of automobile technology, optimizing convenience for its customers. With the launch of driverless parking, they’re setting a new global standard in the automobile industry, highlighting the synergy of luxury and innovation.
