Category: Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz and Luminar just announced the extension of their partnership for the 2024 season of Formula One. The new collaboration between the two companies was recently displayed on the automotive technology company’s booth at the 2024 Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

 

According to Mercedes, the beneficiary of the renewed partnership is the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series Safety Car of the FIA. Starting this year, the auto’s roof will be equipped with Luminar’s Light and Detection Ranging (LiDAR) tech to allow a more precise 3D mapping of its vicinity using lasers.

The system also utilizes Luminar’s artificial intelligence (AI) software to augment the detection of moving and still obstacles at high speeds under different driving conditions. The combination of these will help enhance the driver’s reaction time as it can sense debris up to 250 meters and larger objects up to 500 meters within its path.

The new technology is currently under review by the FIA and Formula 1. However, seeing no issues with the merging of the tech with the GT Black Series Safety Car, Mercedes F1 and Luminar is optimistic about what it could bring to the table.

“The partnership with our Formula 1 team is a natural extension of Mercedes-Benz’s existing partnership with Luminar to help realize our vision for accident-free driving in Mercedes production cars,” said Mercedes-Benz Chief Technology Officer and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Non-Executive Chairman Markus Schäfer.

It was followed by Luminar CEO Austin Russell stating, “Luminar’s technology has always been about pushing the limits of performance while improving automotive safety – and with F1, Mercedes-AMG is taking it to the extreme on a world stage of automotive enthusiasts.”

“Our collaboration will utilize the initial development work between Luminar and Mercedes-Benz as a bedrock, and I am excited to see how we can build on that,” added Mercedes F1 Team Principal Toto Wolff. “Luminar’s culture of innovation and entrepreneurship also fits incredibly well with our own ethos and values so this is a natural collaboration.”

According to the three-pointed star marque’s 2023 Q4 report, it delivered a total of 2,491,600 cars and vans within that period, which displayed a 1.5% increase compared to the previous year. However, the Mercedes-Benz Cars division was only able to sell 2,043,800 units.

A significant increase in demand was witnessed in the Maybach branding of the company, signifying a 19% increase in sales. This was followed by the G-Class range at 11% and Mercedes-AMG high-performance variants at 4%.

China remained the biggest market for Mercedes-Benz as it was responsible for the 737,200 sales figures out of the 963,800 units delivered to buyers in Asia. It should be noted though that demand in the giant Asian nation slumped by 8% in contrast to the numbers in 2022.

Germany accounted for 234,300 out of 659,400 sales in Europe while the US contributed 298,000 to the 339,500 overall deliveries in the North American market.

Official Statement from Mercedes-Benz CEO

“Sales in 2023 show that Top-End Vehicles including Mercedes-Maybach, G-Class, and Mercedes-AMG delivered their best-ever performance,” said Mercedes-Benz boss Ola Källenius. “Electric vehicle sales continue to rise and particularly the new E-Class is being well received.”

“Mercedes-Benz Vans also had their most successful sales so far,” the German automaker’s head honcho added. “This year we will maintain our product momentum, especially thanks to the electric G-Class, the Mercedes-AMG GT Coupé, and our new eSprinter.”

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Mercedes-Benz was, however, once again beaten by its rival BMW in terms of sales in the luxury vehicle segment of the market. Its Bavarian competitor experienced a record year for 2023 with 2,253,835 luxury vehicles sold, which was 210,035 more than its Stuttgart-headquartered contender.

BMW’s strong performance last year could be attributed to its rapid encroachment of the electric vehicle (EV) market. Mercedes, on the other hand, was held back by supply shortages for the parts needed in its electric cars and SUVs, particularly the ones that were essential in the construction of its 48-volt mild-hybrid system.