Mercedes pulls confusing autonomous car ad
The new E-class sedan's commercial featured an F015 cameo.
Mercedes has pulled its 2017 E-class sedan ad after critics pointed out that it could mislead people into thinking it's an autonomous vehicle. In the commercial, you'll see the E-class sedan on the road, overtaking the automaker's F015 autonomous car concept -- the same futuristic car we previewed last year that looked like it came right out of Minority Report. A voiceover then says "Is the world truly ready for a vehicle that can drive itself? Ready or not, the future is here" You'll also see the sedan's driver taking his hands off the wheel while the car is in motion.
Problem is, the E-class sedan is not an autonomous vehicle. It only has a driver assist feature called "Drive Pilot" for cruise control and automated steering, designed to frequently remind people to keep their hands on the steering wheel. According to Automotive News, safety advocates such as Consumer Reports and the Center for Automotive Safety asked the FTC to investigate the ad and the company. In the end, Mercedes decided to pull the ad completely. A spokesperson from the automaker told the publication:
"The new 2017 E class is a technological tour de force and is a significant step towards achieving our vision of an accident-free futur:We do not want any potential confusion in the marketplace to detract from the giant step forward in vehicle safety the 2017 E class represents."
The company already removed the video from its YouTube channel, but Automotive News was able to preserve a copy, which you can watch below:
