Mercedes-Benz is preparing to launch the S-Class update on January 29. In the meantime, the German automaker is sharing some of the planned features for future cars.
Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz, spoke with YouTuber Justin Tse and revealed the challenges they have faced in delivering what he described as the brand’s largest visual update ever.
According to Källenius, 2,700 components are new or updated, representing roughly half of the entire vehicle. Among the new features, the S-Class seat belts will now be heated, the Mercedes chief confirmed in an interview with ABC News.
These heated seat belts were first introduced in the Experimental Safety Vehicle (ESF) concept unveiled in 2019. At the time, Mercedes stated that heated seat belts would improve not only comfort but also safety.
The idea was that heating the belt would encourage occupants to buckle up on cold days. In turn, they would be more likely to remove bulky winter jackets, reducing the risk of excessive belt slack.
Beyond comfort and safety, the feature also appears to improve range efficiency in electric vehicles, according to automotive supplier ZF.
After an update to its Heat Belt last year, a driving range increase of up to six percent was demonstrated for electric vehicles in cold conditions.
By reducing the energy required to heat the cabin, the system placed less strain on the battery. The belt itself took less than two minutes to heat from -5°C to 40°C.
In the GLE-based concept, the heating elements took around four minutes to bring the seat belt from an environment of -10°C to body temperature.
In the Experimental Safety Vehicle, the seat belts were offered in three levels and would automatically activate along with seat heating.
In this concept, temperature was thermostatically controlled by sensors embedded in the belt, with heating elements distributed along its entire length.
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Photos and video: Mercedes-Benz / ZF / YouTube @MercedesBenz. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
