Last week’s mishap involving a “demonstration” of Mercedes‘ new radar-based automatic braking technology was not what it seemed. According to a report published last week, Mercedes engineers realized the hall in which the test was to be performed would foil the demonstration. However, Michael Specht, an Autobild journalist anxious for a scoop, convinced the Mercedes team to fake the demonstration — manually braking the cars instead of letting the automatic system attempt the task. The team placed a thin strip of wood on the ground so Specht, who was reportedly driving one of the cars, would know when to brake. (This was necessary because dry ice was used to create smoke to obscure the view of the driver, supposedly adding to the credibility of the test.) Unfortunately, the S-Class’ supple suspension made it impossible for Specht to feel the marker on the floor. Specht subsequently crashed into the back of the test car ahead of him. Specht was reportedly fired from Autobild following the incident.

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