Mercedes-Benz ESF 2009 S-Class Safety Concept

Along with Volvo and Saab, for most of it's history Mercedes-Benz has been at the forefront of vehicle safety innovation. There is some things you probably don't know about that Mercedes-Benx first pioneered. For instance, "safety cage" construction with crumple zones was first made by Mercedes in 1951.

First air bags in the North American market? Mercedes in 1988. Anti-lock brakes were first used in Mercedes vehicles in 1978.

That's just naming a few! Many other recent things like Electronic Stability Control (Called ESP by Mercedes) and Pre-Safe have been invented by the company, making their vehicles some of the safest in the world. Definitely something to consider when buying a new vehicle!

This new S-Class based safety concept is based on the S400 Hybrid and is meant to show off the next-generation of safety technology that Mercedes is currently working on. There is some amazing things being shown off with the ESF!

We're still waiting for more detailed information from Mercedes, however, there are some definite things we do know about the ESF 2009 Safety Concept. One of those is airbags galore! Airbags in the seat belts, a new interior curtain bag separating the front passengers and even exterior airbags! Mercedes is developing an air bag brake of sorts that is placed under the frontal area of the vehicle.

The bag lifts the vehicle to compensate for dive and also creates friction, increasing the rate of deceleration. What's more, most of the features on the ESF 2009 are fully functioning!  The car's official unveiling is next week, where we'll learn a lot more about the features being shown off. Way to go Mercedes for such an enduring commitment to safety! If ever implemented these features promise to make the S-Class, what is arguably already the world's safest car, even safer.