Mercedes-Benz has a massive proving ground that challenges car safety with crash and torture tests, dummies walking on fake streets and computer modeling to make sure we're as safe inside their products as in a nuclear bunker.
While Volvo is busy making sure not to hit their remote controlled moose near Gothenburg, Mercedes-Benz uses rather tubby dummies with no fashion sense to simulate a careless pedestrian.
Modern vehicles get a whole arsenal of ultrasound and laser-based radars to keep you on the right part of the road at all times, to make sure you don't hit anybody and to maximize occupant protection long before an impact could happen. These cutting-edge guardians are supported by fleet of cameras providing a 360 degree view of the car and a clever navigation system that gets updated by a live feed of traffic information and road condition reports 24/7.
Computers really take good care of us nowadays, but the core of safety lies deeper, in the metal.
Steel alloys have to be extremely strong and unbelievably light at the same time, since fuel economy numbers are only achievable if the weight stays low. These special steels are pretty expensive in exchange, but that's where the latest generation 3D modeling comes in to tell engineers which materials to use where within the car. A series of real crash tests put the theory to the test, and the final chassis can be a combination of up to five different steels, aluminum and even composites.
But think of an old car for a second and just list the basics. It goes something like steering, brakes, lights, wipers and safety belts.
The windscreen wiper was patented in 1903, but if one can still improve the design 111 years later, that can make all the difference on the road.
Yep, the 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is just as clever as the team behind it.