Mercedes Tests Autonomous AMG GT 63 Prototype on Nürburgring

There's currently a battle to be the fastest sports car at Nürburgring. The Green Hell is the place where drivers can demonstrate their skill and brands attempt to set new lap records. But increasingly, manufacturers are using the old German circuit as a testing ground for autonomous vehicles.

Xiaomi Paved the Way

Xiaomi was the first to test a driverless car on Nürburgring, when a few months ago an autonomous YU7 GT completed a lap of the circuit in 10 minutes and 29.483 seconds. This time is over three minutes slower than a human-driven model, but it's not bad for an autonomous vehicle.

Mercedes Joins the Autonomous Race

Mercedes-AMG appears to want to compete with the Chinese brand, as spy photographers recently caught a prototype of the GT 63 in testing. While at first glance it doesn't look out of the ordinary, the model features three sensors mounted on the roof. Images released by CarScoops also show that the driver kept their hands off the steering wheel.

Testing Challenges and Progress

The autonomous testing proved more challenging than it seemed, as according to the US media outlet, the prototype was slowly navigating the track, driving on the right-hand side. This reportedly took them around 25 minutes. Once the track boundaries were identified, the prototype was ready for a driverless test. It first completed a lap at a slow pace, with great caution, as the car drove safely with moderate acceleration and early braking, it was reported.

The lap apparently took less than 20 minutes, and the driver was only there to intervene if necessary. After the successful lap, the car returned to the pits for engineers to analyze the data and make adjustments. Subsequently, the prototype returned for a second lap, which it completed “several minutes faster” than the first. However, the little information that has emerged indicates that it was “far from the record” set by Xiaomi.

Future Testing Expected

Mercedes appears to have concluded the second test, but there's no doubt that the company will thoroughly analyze the data and learn from the experience. Therefore, it wouldn't be surprising if the prototype returned to the legendary German circuit in the future with the aim of setting its own autonomous driving record.

Mercedes' Investment in Autonomous Technology

Mercedes is one of the brands most heavily investing in autonomous cars. Several European manufacturers are involved in the development of autonomous cars. In fact, some, like Mercedes, have made giant strides and are already operating at level 4. When the brand with the star presented the current generation of the S-Class at the end of 2020 (recently updated), it integrated the Drive system.