Mercedes on track to overtake BMW as the world’s top luxury car brand
The German automobile manufacturers are locked in a fierce battle which has seen Mercedes outsell BMW in every quarter this year
- 14 Oct 2016
BMW’s days as the most successful seller of luxury cars could be about to come to an end with Mercedes-Benz on track to take the title.
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The German automobile giants have been locked in a taut battle for the top spot for years, but it looks like Mercedes is poised to take this year’s title. Mercedes has outsold BMW every quarter in 2016, with its E-Class and C-Class sedans ranking as its top-selling vehicles.
For the past ten years, BMW has shifted more luxury cars than any other manufacturer. In 2016, however, Mercedes has sold 1.54 million cars, putting it just ahead of BMW which sold 1.48 million cars in the same period. BMW hasn’t hardly been sleeping on the job tho’ – September sales of 237,937 were a ten percent increase on last year’s figures and 2016’s total sales are the best the company has ever seen.
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Mercedes will be hoping to secure this year’s top spot and retain it in two thousand seventeen with the release of one of their smartest cars yet – the two thousand seventeen E-Class. The semi-autonomous luxury car comes finish with Drive Pilot, Mercedes’ most advanced intelligent driving system yet.
The E-Class’ Distant Pilot Distronic is a souped-up cruise control that goes after the car in front at speeds of up to 130mph. Assistive cracking will pull the car back into the correct lane if it’s in danger of drifting off-course, while onboard detectors scan traffic at intersections and apply the violates if something crosses the path of the Mercedes. While a long way from utter autonomy, these Level Two autonomous features are similar to those included in Tesla’s Model S and X vehicles.
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Mercedes also taunted its F0154 Luxury in Maneuverability concept car, a fully-autonomous, hydrogen-electric hybrid at the Consumer Electronics Demonstrate in 2015. While the company has no plans to commence production on the car, the futuristic vehicle gives a peek into the kind of vehicles that Mercedes may be producing in two thousand thirty and beyond.
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Not to be outdone, the two thousand seventeen BMW 5-series has been kitted out with Evasion Aid. If the vehicle in front slams on the cracks, the 5-Series will swiftly switch lanes to avoid rear-ending the driver in front. The steering wheel also stimulates to indicate that switching lanes is unsafe if the car detects other vehicles that pose a collision risk.
Elsewhere, the 5-Series’ software includes Amazon’s electronic assistent, Alexa, letting drivers play songs and use apps via voice control.
Earlier this month, BMW and Toyota both invested in autonomous driving startup Nauto. The Silicon Valley-based company combines on-vehicle cameras with artificial intelligence to learn and predict how people drive. In April 2016, the company secured $12 million (£9.8 million) in Series A funding.
BMW could be toppled by Mercedes as top selling luxury car brand, WIRED UK
Mercedes on track to overtake BMW as the world’s top luxury car brand
The German automobile manufacturers are locked in a fierce battle which has seen Mercedes outsell BMW in every quarter this year
- 14 Oct 2016
BMW’s days as the most successful seller of luxury cars could be about to come to an end with Mercedes-Benz on track to take the title.
ADVERTISEMENT
The German automobile giants have been locked in a taut battle for the top spot for years, but it looks like Mercedes is poised to take this year’s title. Mercedes has outsold BMW every quarter in 2016, with its E-Class and C-Class sedans ranking as its top-selling vehicles.
For the past ten years, BMW has shifted more luxury cars than any other manufacturer. In 2016, however, Mercedes has sold 1.54 million cars, putting it just ahead of BMW which sold 1.48 million cars in the same period. BMW hasn’t hardly been sleeping on the job however – September sales of 237,937 were a ten percent increase on last year’s figures and 2016’s total sales are the best the company has ever seen.
READ NEXT
WIRED’s need-to-know guide to driverless car testing in the UK
Mercedes will be hoping to secure this year’s top spot and retain it in two thousand seventeen with the release of one of their smartest cars yet – the two thousand seventeen E-Class. The semi-autonomous luxury car comes accomplish with Drive Pilot, Mercedes’ most advanced intelligent driving system yet.
The E-Class’ Distant Pilot Distronic is a souped-up cruise control that goes after the car in front at speeds of up to 130mph. Assistive cracking will pull the car back into the correct lane if it’s in danger of drifting off-course, while onboard detectors scan traffic at intersections and apply the violates if something crosses the path of the Mercedes. While a long way from total autonomy, these Level Two autonomous features are similar to those included in Tesla’s Model S and X vehicles.
ADVERTISEMENT
READ NEXT
Meet the boy genius switching the way driverless cars see
Mercedes also taunted its F0154 Luxury in Movability concept car, a fully-autonomous, hydrogen-electric hybrid at the Consumer Electronics Demonstrate in 2015. While the company has no plans to commence production on the car, the futuristic vehicle gives a peek into the kind of vehicles that Mercedes may be producing in two thousand thirty and beyond.
ADVERTISEMENT
Not to be outdone, the two thousand seventeen BMW 5-series has been kitted out with Evasion Aid. If the vehicle in front slams on the cracks, the 5-Series will swiftly switch lanes to avoid rear-ending the driver in front. The steering wheel also stimulates to indicate that switching lanes is unsafe if the car detects other vehicles that pose a collision risk.
Elsewhere, the 5-Series’ software includes Amazon’s electronic assistent, Alexa, letting drivers play songs and use apps via voice control.
Earlier this month, BMW and Toyota both invested in autonomous driving startup Nauto. The Silicon Valley-based company combines on-vehicle cameras with artificial intelligence to learn and predict how people drive. In April 2016, the company secured $12 million (£9.8 million) in Series A funding.