Beijing (ZXZC)- On October 17, Mercedes-Benz signed a memorandum of understanding with the Administration Committee of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Jinqiao District and Shanghai Jinqiao (Group) Co., Ltd., aiming to foster a profound partnership in autonomous driving and intelligent connected vehicles. 

Signing ceremony; photo credit: Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz has been engaged in R&D in China for over 18 years since 2005, establishing one of the most comprehensive R&D networks outside Germany, covering fields like advanced design, smart connectivity, electric mobility, autonomous driving, localization, and complete vehicle testing. With increased investments in local R&D, the size of its teams has steadily grown.

This expansion includes the formation of the Mercedes-Benz Shanghai International Design Center in 2019, the new Mercedes-Benz Shanghai R&D Center in 2022, and, in June 2023, the establishment of a wholly-owned subsidiary, Mercedes-Benz (Shanghai) Digital Technology Co., Ltd.

The Mercedes-Benz Shanghai R&D Center focuses on smart connectivity, autonomous driving, software and hardware development, and big data. The latest digitized features on the new long-wheelbase E-Class model, tailored to meet Chinese customers' requirements, are the brainchild of this local R&D team. 

Cabin of Long-wheelbase E-Class; photo credit:  Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz anticipates its China-based R&D team to reach 2,000 members by the end of 2023, nearly doubling from 2020.

In addition, Mercedes-Benz stated that the "Mercedes-Benz Operating System (MB.OS)," developed with its local R&D team in China, will be launched alongside the new Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA) platform in the mid-2020s. MB.OS is a dedicated architecture that spans from the chip to the cloud, seamlessly connecting vehicle information, entertainment, intelligence, autonomous driving, comfort, driving, and charging capabilities.

The new long-wheelbase E-Class will feature the third-generation MBUX intelligent human-machine interaction system, providing advanced voice interaction and navigation functions. The navigation-assisted driving system (L2+) will enable intelligent assisted driving on highways and urban expressways, including point-to-point navigation, automatic lane changing, overtaking, and on-ramp/off-ramp maneuvers under driver supervision.