Cars like the Ford Focus RS and Audi RS3 have a special drift mode that helps the driver do side drifts, but what if drifting could be easier? Because it seems Mercedes is thinking of implementing an autonomous drift mode in their electric AMG models.
It turns out that automatic technology already existed, back in February, the Toyota Research Institute had programmed a Supra to burn out without human intervention. The main difference here is that Mercedes is thinking of installing such a feature in the electric-powered AMG. In an interview with Australian magazine CarSales, Mercedes global vehicle development boss Joerg Bartels spoke about the unusual feature gimmick.
“Auto drift mode? Yes of course. We can do this because we always know the situation of the car. We have sensors for everything, so we know that. You need to have a lot of room for something like this and the only problem, apart from torque vectoring, is that you will require drive by wire as you may need to remove the steering wheel.”
When asked about the possibility of implementing autonomous drift mode in cars, Joerg Bartels strongly suggested the possibility: “Maybe it will come.” He went on to say the upcoming EQG (electric G-Class) tank change function demonstrates the benefits of having a quad-motor setup. The R&D chief admits it’s not really a useful feature in the real world, but it will allow owners to brag about what their EV can do.
“This is something you will do and show your neighbours, but it’s not very helpful in conditions or during dynamic driving,” says Bartels. BMW M is no stranger to on-the-spot EV engineering, having recently shown a modified i4 Coupe with a quad motor that performs the same maneuvers.
The German manufacturer has recently introduced several of their electric performance cars, the EQS 53, EQS 43 and 53. The AMG Vision concept seen earlier this year is a glimpse of the future of Mercedes electric sports cars using their AMG.EA platform.
Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 Starts At $147,500, come with up to 751 hp
