Mercedes set to debut S-Class ESF safety concept with more airbags than a balloon shop
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/conceptcars/" rel="tag">Concept Cars</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/sedans/" rel="tag">Sedans/Saloons</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/safety/" rel="tag">Safety</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/mercedes-benz/" rel="tag">Mercedes-Benz</a></p><div align="center"><em><stron g><small><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/mercedes-benz-esf-2009-concept/2070900/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/06/web580-09_2009_mercedes_benz_esf _concept_vehicle_1.jpg" alt="" /></a><br />Mercedes-Benz ESF 2009 concept - Click above for image gallery</small></strong></em><br /></div>
<br />An inordinate number of the safety features that we now find commonplace in roadgoing automobiles made their debut in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. So where better to look for the next generation of safety technology? You guessed it.<br /><br />To that end, Mercedes is slated to unveil a concept S-Class to showcase the safety features it is working on next. The ESF 2009 Concept is based on the S400 Hybrid - as if to show that "green" and "safe" can co-exist - and it comes packed with a bunch of new airbags. There's a new curtain airbag in between the seats (you know, so you don't butt heads), airbags in the seatbelts themselves, and perhaps the most innovative feature, a giant airbag underneath the vehicle that inflates in the case of an imminent crash, adding friction to help the car decelerate and lifting the front of the car a bit to compensate for brake dive. That last part worries us a little, as it strikes us that it could hinder any attempt to steer away from the crash, but for the time being we'll trust that Mercedes knows what it's doing. There are also seat bolsters that can move the occupants a couple of inches away from the doors in case of a side impact, metal beams that can actually inflate - thereby cutting weight and saving space on impact beams - and reflective tires. <br /><br />With the airbag count rising rapidly, a potential crash is looking more expensive by the day, but Mercedes seems to revel in the "how can you put a price on safety?" approach. Stay tuned for more information, and check out the images in the gallery below in the meantime.<br /><br /><br /><div class="postgallery"><p><s trong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/mercedes-benz-esf-2009-concept/">Mercedes-Benz ESF 2009 concept</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/mercedes-benz-esf-2009-concept/2070900/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/06/09_2009_mercedes_benz_esf _concept_vehicle_1_thumbn ail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/mercedes-benz-esf-2009-concept/2070899/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/06/09_2009_mercedes_benz_esf _concept_vehicle_2_thumbn ail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/mercedes-benz-esf-2009-concept/2070898/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/06/09_2009_mercedes_benz_esf _concept_vehicle_3_thumbn ail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/mercedes-benz-esf-2009-concept/2070897/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/06/09_2009_mercedes_benz_esf _concept_vehicle_4_thumbn ail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/mercedes-benz-esf-2009-concept/2070896/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/06/09_2009_mercedes_benz_esf _concept_vehicle_5_thumbn ail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br />[Sources: <a href="http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle.ASpx?AR=24067 8">Autocar</a> and <a href="http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Jun09/09_001665_2009_Mercedes_B enz_ESF_Concept_Vehicle_M akes_Its_Debut.html">eMer cedes-Benz</a>]<p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/09/mercedes-set-to-debut-s-class-esf-safety-concept/">Mercedes set to debut S-Class ESF safety concept with more airbags than a balloon shop</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle.ASpx?AR=24067 8>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/09/mercedes-set-to-debut-s-class-esf-safety-concept/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19062201/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/09/mercedes-set-to-debut-s-class-esf-safety-concept/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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