Mercedes-Benz steps up robotaxi plans with S-Class platform and global partners

Mercedes-Benz is accelerating plans to develop a global robotaxi ecosystem, confirming it will use the new S-Class as the core vehicle platform and work with a range of technology and mobility partners to bring highly automated services to market.

The carmaker says the next phase of its automated driving strategy will focus on SAE Level 4 robotaxi deployment, using the S-Class and its proprietary MB.OS operating system as the foundation for driverless shuttle services in the United States, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Mercedes-Benz says the new S-Class has been designed with fail-safe operation in mind, incorporating redundancies across steering, braking, computing and power supply systems to support highly automated driving.

Jörg Burzer, a member of the board of management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG and chief technology officer for development and procurement, says partnerships are central to the company’s robotaxi ambitions.

“Mercedes-Benz is the pioneer in safe autonomous driving. The next step on our roadmap is to enable a robotaxi experience based on the new S-Class.

“To accomplish our goal, we have strong industry-leading partners at our side. For us, these partnerships mark the beginning of our entry into the robotaxi market with the S-Class and MB.OS as the ultimate platform,” Burzer says.

As part of the strategy, Mercedes-Benz is working with NVIDIA and Uber to develop a robotaxi ecosystem based on the S-Class. NVIDIA will provide its DRIVE Hyperion architecture and DRIVE AV Level 4 software stack, alongside simulation tools, datasets and AI models aimed at supporting safety-focused autonomous driving.

Mercedes-Benz and NVIDIA already collaborate on advanced driver assistance systems, with NVIDIA’s AI software expertise contributing to the development of Mercedes-Benz’s next-generation ADAS technologies.

Separately, Mercedes-Benz confirmed it is also working with Momenta on another Level 4 robotaxi project using the S-Class. Mobility provider Lumo, a subsidiary of technology company K2, plans to operate the vehicles, with initial deployment scheduled for Abu Dhabi.

Mercedes-Benz says the first S-Class robotaxi test vehicles for the Abu Dhabi programme are expected to be on public roads later this year, with the option to expand into additional locations over time.

The company says MB.OS, its MB.DRIVE systems and its safety-focused engineering approach are key enablers of the robotaxi strategy, as it looks to move from advanced driver assistance toward fully automated commercial mobility services.