Ahead of the 2016 North American International Auto Show taking place in Detroit this week, Daimler AG on Sunday unveiled the tenth-generation of its business-class saloon, the 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

Apart from a new design and larger dimensions, the 2017 E-Class is packed with technology such as new driver assistance systems, including Remote Parking Pilot and Car-to-X communication, all designed to enable fully autonomous driving at a future date.

“The E-Class is the core of the Mercedes-Benz brand and in the past has repeatedly redefined the standards in the business-class segment,” said Thomas Weber, head of Daimler’s Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. “The new E-Class takes another major step towards fully autonomous driving,” he added.

Last week, the new E-Class became the world’s first standard production car to be granted a test license for researching self-driving technology on Nevada’s public roads

Semi-autonomous driving features

At the heart of Mercedes-Benz’s journey toward fully-autonomous driving is its semi-autonomous Drive Pilot system, part of the optional Driver Assistance Package Plus, which will accelerate, brake, steer, and change lanes automatically.

Drive Pilot is capable of keeping the correct distance behind vehicles in front automatically and can now also follow them at speeds up to 130 miles per hour or 81 miles per hour when road markings are limited or absent, like at road works.

Also making an appearance on the E-Class for the first time is an Active Lane-change Assistant, a radar- and camera-based assistance system that steers the car into a new lane once the driver has indicated to turn.

Active Brake Assist now includes a cross-traffic function that, in addition to automatically breaking for pedestrians, can detect crossing traffic at junctions and brake autonomously should the driver fail to take action in time.

Among the new autonomous driving technologies to feature in the new E-Class are: Remote Parking Pilot, that allows the car to self-park in a garage or parking space via a smartphone app; and Car-to-X communication, allowing the car to send and receive information from other connected systems, such as other cars, connected traffic lights, etc.

Smartphone-like infotainment controls

Along with a new horizontal 12.3-inch LCD display, the infotainment system features new Touch Control surfaces on the steering wheel, replacing traditional button controls for the first time on a production vehicle. The touch-sensitive surfaces use vertical and horizontal swipe actions, just like a smartphone, allowing the driver to operate the infotainment system without removing his/her hands from the steering wheel.

In addition, the infotainment system can also be controlled via a touchpad capable of handwriting and voice recognition, located in the center console.

Due for launch in the U.S. in mid-2016, the new E-Class will initially only be available with a 241 horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Additional models, including a plug-in hybrid, will be introduced at a later date.

Images via Daimler