2015 Mercedes C-Class image and high-tech highlights revealed [video]

More of the all-new 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class gets revealed as Michael Schumacher tested the safety systems of the new C-Class. The testing took place at the Mercedes Technology Center in Sindelfingen. The F1 champion is a brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, and a development partner for Mercedes‑Benz Intelligent Drive which is the brand name Mercedes uses for their collective safety systems.

Mercedes-Benz is on mission to improve vehicle safety and reduce traffic accidents around the globe. The new 2015 C-Class will feature the latest Mercedes technology when it launches next year. The German automaker is consistently pursuing this strategy with the C-Class, which has numerous new assistance systems and significantly extended functions.

Schumacher talks about C-Class Intelligent Drive."Nobody is able to give 100% concentration all the time over a longer period to cope with the car and traffic situation. Sometimes just a moment of inattention is enough. And that is precisely why I support intelligent assistance systems for passenger cars. Assistance systems are never distracted and never get tired. Assistance systems have no delay for reaction time. They can save lives."

Schumacher has been asked to evaluate and test the new systems on the C-Class for Mercedes. He has to answer a number of key questions like, how rapidly and for how long should the visual warning be given? How intensive should the acoustic warning be? And at what point should the automatic lane-correcting brake application intervene?

The central focus of Schumacher's test drives with the C-Class was on assistance systems such as the new COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS, DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot, The PRE-SAFE Brake, Brake Assist PLUS with Cross-Traffic Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, and Active Lane Keeping Assist. All these systems alert the driver to potential hazards that can potentially cause an accident and help prevent them from happening.

Mercedes also made the new C-Class safer with the new body and body shell. Mercedes says the new saloon not only meets all current national safety ratings, but also the more stringent Mercedes-Benz requirements according to "Best Real Life Safety." C-Class also gets some new high-tech upgrades in the cabin that will appeal to a new generation of buyers.

The cabin is ultra-safe and surrounded with high and ultra-high-strength sheet steel and specifically developed deformation zones with optimized force dissipation paths in the front end and rear made out of an aluminum hybrid structure. The outer skin is made virtually entirely of aluminum contributing to a stronger and safer shell. And the new C-Class loses weight to become more agile.

The all-new 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class may be the most intelligent car on the planet when it launches next year. Thanks to F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, the safety systems get tweaked to perform at their peak performance just like his race cars.

Watch Mercedes-Benz TV: Michael Schumacher tests Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive video.