Mercedes-Benz to offer autonomous driving tech in US

Mercedes-Benz will introduce its MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO advanced driver-assistance system in the US later this year, allowing vehicles to operate autonomously on city streets under driver supervision.

The feature, already available in China, enables cars to drive from parking lots to destinations, handling city intersections, turns, and traffic lights.

The system will be priced at US$4.0 billion for three years, with monthly and yearly subscription options to be announced.

Currently, Tesla is the only automaker in the US offering self-driving capability on city streets, with its Full Self-Driving package costing US$8,000 or US$99 per month.

Like Tesla’s system, drivers using MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO must remain alert and ready to take control.

Mercedes said the technology uses about 30 sensors, including cameras, radar, and ultrasonic units, and is capable of receiving over-the-air updates.

🔗 Source: Reuters

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO runs at Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Level 2, not Level 3, and needs constant driver supervision unlike DRIVE PILOT

It is SAE Level 2++, an informal tag for a stronger Level 2 setup that requires “a light touch on the steering wheel at all times” with capacitive steering wheel sensors tracking contact 1. DRIVE PILOT is certified SAE Level 3 and allows hands and eyes off under 40 mph on defined highways in California and Nevada 2 3.
The car uses 27 sensors with 12 ultrasonic units plus radar and cameras inside and out, not “about 30” 1. An inward camera checks attention, escalates alerts, then stops and calls emergency services if the driver stays unresponsive, enabling supervised urban point-to-point driving beyond DRIVE PILOT’s highway-only scope 1 2 3.
Mercedes now targets a US launch later this year after earlier flagging a 2026 plan for the USA 4. China release started in November 1. It debuted on the long-wheelbase CLA L in 2025 with Europe likely not before 2027 when rules allow 1 4.

Developers should watch MB.OS Software Development Kit (SDK) access as Mercedes’ chip-to-cloud architecture could seed a proprietary app store against Android Automotive OS

MB.OS (Mercedes-Benz Operating System) keeps customer data and revenue with Mercedes, not Google’s Android Automotive OS 5. It spans four areas such as powertrain plus autonomous driving, infotainment, and body and comfort systems. A standardized chip-to-cloud architecture (integrated in-car hardware, software, and cloud services) supports over-the-air (OTA) updates across the lineup with a €1 billion software target by 2025 5.
Developers want clarity on third party access beyond the current Application Programming Interface (API) platform 6 7. Building for a proprietary automotive OS needs work similar to gaming consoles, so winning creators to a niche platform stays hard 5. The Nvidia deal for AI compute in the CLA 1 hints at in car apps that need real processing power. SDK access, app store setup, and revenue terms remain unclear, so investment looks risky.