Mercedes 2004 Annual Report Download - page 78

Setting the pace for future developments. At DaimlerChrysler,
we are pursuing a clear strategy of guaranteeing individual
mobility, conserving resources, and creating innovations that
benefit our customers while securing competitive advantages
for the Group.
To this end, DaimlerChrysler invested a total of €5.7 billion in
research and development in 2004 (2003: €5.6 billion). At
the end of 2004, Corporate Research employed 2,900 people
(2003: 2,900), and a further 26,100 men and women were
employed in the development departments at the Mercedes Car
Group, Chrysler Group and Commercial Vehicles divisions
(2003: 23,800).
Research work focused on six core technology fields in 2004:
– Propulsion technology
– Vehicle structure and the human-machine interface
– Materials technology
– Production technology
– Electric/electronic systems and intelligent transportation
systems
– Software and process technology
F500 Mind – an innovative concept for the future. The F500
Mind continues the DaimlerChrysler tradition of creating widely
respected research vehicles. The vehicle is a concept that serve
to strengthen our practically oriented research work. It enables
us to test complex systems in vehicles in the early stages of devel-
opment, while supporting the rapid transfer of research ideas
into activities geared toward mass production.
The F500 Mind, our latest research vehicle, proved itself in
numerous practical tests in 2004, thus paving the way for
bringing various new systems to customers. The innovations
tested last year include a night-vision system developed by
DaimlerChrysler Research. We also monitored the operating
behavior of a diesel-hybrid drive installed in the F500 Mind,
in order to determine the ideal conditions for employing either
the diesel engine or the electric motor. The research car
combines an advanced V8 diesel engine delivering 184kW/250
hp with a powerful electric motor (50kW). The F500 Mind thus
provides a perfect example of the focus at Corporate Research:
the “Vision of accident-free driving” and the development of
“Energy for the future”.
Enhancing safety through accident prevention. Safety
research not only has a long tradition at DaimlerChrysler, it
has also always been given top priority. We intend to use
our expertise to make a sustained contribution to traffic safety.
Analysis of the latest accident statistics shows that since
Mercedes-Benz cars were first fitted with ESP®(Electronic
Stability Program) as standard equipment, they have been
involved far less frequently in serious driver-related accidents
than vehicles from other brands. Thanks to ESP®, the number
of newly registered Mercedes models involved in driver-related
accidents fell by more than 40% between 1998/99 and
2002/03.
In 2004, we also continued with the development of the PRE-
SAFE®occupant-protection system, which has been offered
as standard equipment in the S-Class since 2002.
The Group invests €5.7 billion in research and development |29,000 research and
development employees worldwide |ESP®reduces the number of newly registered
Mercedes-Benz cars involved in accidents by more than 40% |“Vision of accident-free
driving” and “Energy for the future” implemented in F500 Mind research vehicle
Research and Technology
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