Automotive IT -- Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche showed the new Mercedes E-Class on the eve of the Detroit auto show, saying the core model is “the very first series-built car that is equipped with car-to-X communication.”

Zetsche said the E-Class not only “talks” to other cars, but also can learn, using artificial intelligence technology to take another big step in the direction of autonomous driving.

Self-driving cars need to deploy, so-called “deep-learning computers” that are capable of labeling concepts such as street, vehicle or pedestrian on their own. Such computers, therefore, don’t need to be trained or programmed to identify and deal with every detail, Zetsche said.

“With this technology, cars will, for instance, learn to recognize the typical concept of street life in Stuttgart and they will be able to adapt that knowledge to a street in China” or anywhere else in the world, he added.

Artificial intelligence is widely acknowledged as an essential technology on the road to driverless driving. At the CES consumer electronics fair in Las Vegas earlier this week, Toyota unveiled details of its 1 billion dlr investment in a new research operation that focuses on artificial intelligence and robotics.

Read the rest of the story here: http://www.automotiveit.com/detroit-mercedes-says-e-class-is-first-car-with-car-to-x-communication/news/id-0011193