Mercedes-Benz's new robotaxi is based on the S-Class

Mercedes-Benz has said that it is accelerating the development of a robotaxi ecosystem, with the new S-Class heralded as the ideal vehicle for this.

The flagship model is based on a fail-safe system and integrates redundancies for steering, braking, computing power, and power supply. Together with the Mercedes-Benz operating system MB.OS, it creates the perfect foundation for a driverless shuttle service in the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. And together with its industry-leading partners, the brand is driving the development of an SAE Level 4 system.

The in-development robotaxi ecosystem will utilise the Mercedes-Benz S-Class' operating system, MB.OS

Together with NVIDIA, both brands are collaborating with Uber to make this dream a reality. NVIDIA will implement its NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion architecture and full-stack NVIDIA DRIVE AV L4 software for this purpose. This will be further enhanced by NVIDIA Alpamayo's open AI models, simulation tools, and datasets to deliver a safety-focused robotaxi experience.

Mercedes-Benz and NVIDIA are also partners in the development of driver assistance systems. The new generation of advanced driver assistance systems from Mercedes-Benz utilises NVIDIA's expertise in AI-supported software development.

At the end of last year, the automaker announced another Level 4 project in collaboration with Momenta to develop a robotaxi experience based on the new S-Class. Mobility provider Lumo, a subsidiary of the technology company K2, plans to initially operate shuttle services in Abu Dhabi. The first S-Class robotaxis will be tested on the roads later in 2026, with other cities to follow at a later date.