Mercedes-Benz to demonstrate 'the future of safety' by mid-2019

The company has joined Volvo in setting a goal of zero traffic accidents.

Mercedes-Benz is apparently preparing to demonstrate several next-generation safety technologies.

Speaking to Australia's Motoring, Mercedes-Benz R&D chief Ola Kalennius confirmed that the company has developed a new Experimental Safety Vehicle. Specific details weren't mentioned, though the technology presumably includes advanced semi-autonomous safety features and occupant protection systems.

"Having been in engineering for a couple of years, I'm absolutely amazed at the ingenuity and creativity of the engineers. It never stops," he said. "We will do something in the middle of this year, to demonstrate what the future of safety is going to look like."

The executive promised that many of the innovations that will be highlighted in the ESV are "very close to series deployment."

Mercedes-Benz has apparently joined Volvo in setting a goal to virtually eliminate traffic accidents, acknowledging that most crashes are tied to human error that can be mitigated via the latest safety tech.