Mercedes vehicles allowed to bring cars with radar-based tech to India

• Published On: 8 March 2018
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The features were limited till now because of government restriction on radar frequency band usage.

In a boost to safety tech, radar-based safety features are now allowed to be fitted in some Mercedes Cars sold in India. At the launch of the Mercedes-Maybach S 650 and S 560 at Auto Expo 2018, the company introduced a host of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.

The car comes fitted with Active Distance Assist, which controls the distance to the vehicle in front (up to 210kph) and uses the brakes, whenever necessary. Then there’s Active Steering Assist helps the driver keep the car at the centre of its lane on long straights. Under Active Braking Assist, the system detects slower-moving traffic and stationary vehicles using radar sensors and the stereo camera, and in an emergency, boosts braking and even applies full brakes, if needed to avoid a collision.

The cars also come with Active Blind Spot Assist and Active Lane Keeping Assist. The company is also offering a range of other additions that are available on its cars abroad. You get Evasive Steering Assist, Remote Parking Assist and the famed Magic Body Control. Limitations set by the Indian government on the usage of radar frequency bands had stopped the company from bringing these features here. The government delicensed frequency bands in the range of 36-38 MHz, 433-434.79 MHz, 302-351 kHz and 76-77 GHz in 2015, but continues to reserve 24 and 79 GHz, which the company needs in order to offer additional driving aids. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has written to the Department of Telecommunication to delicense more frequencies for automotive application as well.