Apple’s touchpad technology to be used by Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is about to use touch-pad technology, which was first used by Apple Inc., on the C-Class Sedan. This move is part of the brands strategy to surpass Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) in sales.

The best-seller of the brand is going to be offered with some smartphone-like features combined with technology from the flagship S-Class Sedan, such as a 360-degree camera and six radar sensors in order to increase the efficiency of safety systems. The first reboot of the model in the last seven years was revealed by the company at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Including top-of-the-line gadgetry in their C-Class unit, is a smart move of Mercedes, which is currently trying to launch rival models of BMW and Audi AG in order to jump to No. 1 from the third place in the ranking of global luxury-car deliveries by the end of the decade. The new C-Class is expected to go on sale in Europe in March 2014, and in the U.S. and China – in September 2014. According to IHS Automotive, Daimler AG and its Mercedes-Benz unit in particular hope to overtake the second place in the ranking of global luxury-car deliveries in 2015.

After losing its ranking as the worlds top-selling luxury brand to BMW in 2005 and dropping to No. 3 in 2011, Mercedes-Benz has been trying to get back in the game. The brand managed to narrow the gap to Audi and BWM thanks to the fact the S-Class gained the biggest sales of the manufacturer in the last three years.

One of the automotive partners of consultancy Frost & Sullivan in London – Sarwant Singh, said: “Luxury customers are becoming much younger, especially in Asian markets. They are looking for more gimmicks. The new C-Class is much more exciting.”

The new C-Class, which is the brands top-selling vehicle, was presented by the Chief Executive Officer of Daimler AG – Dieter Zetsche – the night before the official start of the event in Detroit.

The C-Class of Mercedes was replaced by the CLA small Sedan introduced by the company in 2013. At the same time, the company becomes more focused on aggressive styling in order to tempt buyers, who are fans of competitive brands. One of the analysts working for IHS Automotive – Tim Urquhart – said: “The C-Class is and will continue to be the brands mainstream offering, appealing to the widest possible potential buyer base – from junior execs to retirees. The CLA is positioned more for a younger, image-conscious buyer.”

According to Bloomberg, the current share price of Daimler AG is 0.48% up, and its 51.20% up.