To offer the customer even more Mercedes-Benz S-Class means
that I have to tackle many things.
I have to tackle at least 20-25 comfort criteria to make
this hub which the customer also expects with the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Of course rear-axle steering was already available
in the automotive sector even before.
We’ve said, we are revolutionising
rear-axle steering.
By simply giving more steering angles,
towards 10 degrees.
This means, the priority of the development process
of rear-axle steering.
In other words, supporting the customer in parking
with little steering angle, also parking only
in one movement and
accordingly displaying stability at higher speeds.
10 degrees – this revolution is our goal
in the automotive sector.
The big advantage is, when you drive into the car park.
With the big wheelbase you are afraid of it at first.
With this vehicle, with the steering 10 degrees,
you drive into the parking garage and find a parking space and just drive in.
And that gives me such a smile.
With higher speeds, we will also swivel the rear axle
in the opposite direction, so that virtually both
front- and rear-axle wheels point in the same direction.
That is rather the stabilising direction that well be taking.
That is, about 60 km/h is this deflection point,
from the opposite to the same direction of the axles.
Well, the extreme conditions in Sweden are of course challenging.
First of all, the weather conditions.
This means that the whole axle bearings are low tempered
and of course have their peculiarities.
I never thought that we have such advantages,
in Sweden, with the rear-axle steering
on low friction value.
That’s really fantastic.
The vehicle stabilises significantly more than vehicles
without rear axle steering.
What are the characteristics of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class for me?
The best vehicle in the world!
For me, there are many individual criteria which must
fit together and that must be agreed on.
It doesn’t help if I have a nice comfortable chassis
or great overall vehicle acoustics if the seats
are too hard.
This means bringing this coherent entity together
with all disciplines in the vehicle and then bringing
the best overall compromise out of it.
For me, this is a Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
To form that, is the ambition and motivation.