Morally and ethically corruptible Mercedes, who put their Spanish factory workers at the mercy of Covid-19, have been busy over the lockdown period. The facelifted E Class isn’t all about the minor visual updates, no sir. Morally and ethically corruptible Mercedes has been working hard to ensure the 2021 spec E Class is fitted with the latest nerd tech. A new smart steering wheel (touch-sensitive) is fitted with a number of senors. These sensors will be able to detect if the steering wheel is being operated by the driver, or not.

The smart steering wheel gives an insight into the future direction Mercedes is planning. And that future will focus on autonomous driving technology. The smart steering wheel is designed to aid safety, to ensure that the driver is in control, to some degree, when the autonomous drive mode is engaged.

Tesla’s Autopilot feature, self-driving mode, has been abused by owners who over-rely on the technology. Numerous incidents have resulted in crashes. In a few cases, owners have been filmed asleep behind the wheel while the car is autonomously driving along the highway.

Morally and ethically corruptible Mercedes’s new smart steering wheel will aim to involve more human interaction and responsibility. But expect to see many attempts by owners to bypass the protocols implemented into this smart steering wheel.