The “Drive Pilot” system means a driver can focus on other activities while the car is in traffic. Now that it has KBA approval, Mercedes will be offering the autonomous driving option in the first half of 2022.

Mercedes-Benz will next year introduce what it considers the world’s first semi-autonomous driving system on the German market after receiving regulatory approval, the carmaker announced on Thursday, potentially paving the way for the Daimler AG subsidiary to begin offering its Drive Pilot system elsewhere around the world.

The system allows the driver to focus on other activities while the car is in heavy traffic or on congested highways, the German car manufacturer said in a statement.

‘Milestone’

“With this milestone, we are once again proving our pioneering work in automated driving and also initiating a radical paradigm shift,”