Mercedes-Benz plans to launch its MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO urban assisted-driving system in selected German cities by the end of 2026, with a nationwide rollout scheduled for early 2027, as European automakers and technology companies accelerate the deployment of self-driving systems across the region.
The announcement places Mercedes among the first automakers seeking to commercialize urban point-to-point assisted driving technology in Europe. The company said the system will initially launch in Stuttgart and Munich before expanding across Germany. The technology will eventually be integrated into Mercedes’ broader portfolio of passenger vehicles and vans.
Mercedes Chief Technology Officer Jörg Burzer said the company is working with German regulators and the transport ministry to secure deployment approvals. “Our goal is clear: we want to remain at the forefront of the global competition in assisted and automated driving,” Burzer wrote in a LinkedIn post following meetings with German transport officials in Berlin.
The rollout reflects intensifying competition among automakers to deploy assisted and automated driving systems in European urban environments, where regulatory approvals remain more restrictive than in the United States and China. Rivals including BMW and Tesla are also advancing urban autonomous-driving programs in Europe.
BMW has confirmed it plans to introduce its own urban automated driving system in Germany at the end of 2026. Tesla, meanwhile, recently obtained its first European approval for Full Self-Driving (Supervised) from Dutch transport authority RDW, enabling the company to begin deploying the system in customer vehicles in the Netherlands via over-the-air software updates.
Tesla’s approval marks a regulatory milestone for the broader European rollout of supervised autonomous driving systems. The company said it completed 1.6 million kilometers of testing with Full Self-Driving active in Europe, including demonstration drives involving approximately 13,000 Tesla customers and more than 4,500 controlled test scenarios conducted on closed tracks.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system remains classified as an advanced driver-assistance system rather than a fully autonomous platform. Drivers are permitted to remove their hands from the steering wheel, but must continue monitoring road conditions and remain ready to intervene.
European regulators currently permit Level 2 driver-assistance systems across the region and have approved Level 3 systems under specific conditions. Under Level 2+, vehicles can steer, accelerate, and brake while the driver remains responsible for supervision. Level 4 systems would allow vehicles to operate autonomously in defined conditions without requiring immediate human intervention.
Mercedes’ MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO platform falls within the supervised automated-driving category. Developed in partnership with Nvidia, the system can navigate traffic lights, manage lane changes and operate in heavy urban traffic while requiring driver supervision.
The partnership highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence and semiconductor companies in the automotive industry’s autonomous-driving strategies. Nvidia has become a key supplier of computing systems for automakers developing advanced driver-assistance and autonomous-driving technologies.
Ali Kani, vice president of Nvidia’s automotive division, said earlier this year that Europe is approaching a key phase in the deployment of self-driving technologies. “We need to go as fast as regulation allows us, and I think what we see is it is opening up,” Kani said.
He added that Level 2+ driving systems could become more broadly available across Europe by the end of 2026, while Level 4 deployment could begin in 2027, depending on regulatory approvals and infrastructure readiness.
“My guess is in Europe it might end up being the end of this year,” he said, referring to Level 2+ systems. On Level 4 technology, he added: “It could come in 2027.”
Mercedes said it is coordinating closely with Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) and the transport ministry to accelerate approvals while maintaining safety standards.
Burzer said the company is working “to bring these and other innovations to market quickly and responsibly.”
A spokesperson for Germany’s transport ministry said Burzer and Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder discussed automated driving in the context of international competition and technological leadership. “The ministry aims to make Germany a leading hub for innovation in autonomous driving,” the spokesperson said.
The race to deploy self-driving technology in Europe comes as China and the United States continue expanding commercial applications for automated-driving systems. Mercedes has already launched MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO in China, where the system became available at the end of 2025. The company also plans a US market launch later this year.