Mercedes-Benz goes autonomous for CES

MERCEDES-BENZ has released more teaser images of its autonomous concept vehicle ahead of its International Consumer and Electronics Show (CES) debut in Las Vegas this week as the race to build self-driving cars gathers pace.

The latest shots posted on the German car-maker’s official Facebook and Twitter accounts give away little of the car’s exterior features, revealing only an illuminated star emblem positioned on an grille dotted with LEDs and flanked by larger, stacked LED bars.

Two interior shots reveal white leather upholstered front seats which are expected to swivel to face the rear passengers creating a ‘lounge room’ effect in the cavernous cabin.

The images follow a teaser photo released on New Year’s Eve of the car in silhouette showing a low, sleek vehicle with extremely short overhangs, a heavily raked windscreen and large wheel arches.

Spy photos of the car testing under a camouflage sheet in November gave a glimpse of a wrap-around strip tail-light above a stacked LED bar design similar to those at the front.

No further details have been announced relating to the technology behind the self-driving concept.

In 2013 Mercedes-Benz demonstrated the advances it had made, with its S500 Intelligent Drive autonomous vehicle piloting itself 100km on urban and country public roads. Testing moved to California in the United States last year.

Benz is not the only car-maker showing off its self-driving prowess at this year’s CES.

BMW recently announced it will unveil its latest autonomous offering at the electronics show – an i3 that can navigate through a car park and position itself in a free space using laser sensors and a digital floor plan of the structure.

Audi demonstrated a self-parking vehicle at the 2013 CES and last year its driverless RS7 Sportback completed a lap of Hokenheim racetrack at high speed.

Volvo and Google have also conducted public-road trials of their autonomous cars.

Since 1967 CES has shown off the latest in electronic innovations and has been the venue with saw the debut of the video cassette recorder, CD player, Camcorder and 3D printer.

With vehicle connectivity technology becoming more sophisticated and widespread CES has seen a growing number of car companies use the event as a platform to show off their new products.

According to the show’s organisers the area allocated to car-makers at CES has doubled in the past five years to 15,300 square metres.