At Mercedes-Benz, data security and protection are of great importance. That's why, from the very beginning, our engineers make sure when developing new services and products that they are designed to be data protection-compliant and user-friendly. To this end, we have introduced measures and processes for the secure handling of data - even before the data is stored and processed, for example. In this way, we minimise potential risks and at the same time enable innovative data-based services.

We make it clear what we need your data for and how we process it. For us, this also includes designing our systems and processes so that they are easy to use. This is relevant, for example, if you use our digital offers such as Mercedes me connect.

Today, it is impossible to imagine our everyday life without digital helpers. They make our lives easier by giving us mobile access to a wide range of relevant things from anywhere. The Mercedes me connect services connect you with your vehicle and offer a wide variety of solutions for your private and business journeys. Checking the range, closing the doors and sunroof, finding a parking space, organising service appointments - to name just a few examples

We wish to constantly improve vehicle functions and services. For this, it is helpful to know how they are actually used. We also rely on voluntariness when it comes to your contribution to improving vehicle functions and services: that is why data on the condition and use of individual components of your vehicle is only transferred to us with your consent. Of course, we do not store this data in a customer-related manner. However, their statistical evaluation helps us to assess the reliability of certain vehicle functions or to recognise typical application patterns. In this way we can offer you better quality and more comfort in the future.

The "Third-party provider: vehicle data" service enables you to grant other providers access to selected Mercedes me connect data and functions. This allows you to use innovative services from various third-party providers while maintaining full control and transparency over your data. The data will only be passed on to the third-party provider(s) selected by you after activation of the Mercedes me connect service "Third-party provider interface: vehicle data" and your additional approval. Data is used via the relevant application (e.g. website, app) of the third-party provider. The latter is independently responsible under data protection law for the data transmitted to it by Mercedes-Benz at your request.

Our customers have sovereignty over their data. This means: you have the choice of which services you use and whether you want to release your data for processing. Via our Privacy Centre, you have the option of granting and withdrawing your consent to us or third-party providers at any time. At the same time, you always have transparency about which data is used for what.

In winter, we tested Mercedes-Benz in cooperation with the district of Zollernalbkreis in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, regarding how Car-to-X communication can improve safety on winter roads and how it can improve the efficiency of winter road clearance services.

Car-to-X refers to the communication of vehicles with each other and with the traffic infrastructure. This should reduce traffic accidents in the future by exchanging relevant traffic and vehicle data between vehicles.

If the ESP® or ABS sensors of a vehicle with Car-to-X function detect slippery road conditions, this is sent together with position data to the Mercedes-Benz Vehicle Backend via the mobile network. This anonymised information is displayed in real time on digital maps in Zollernalbkreis' two road maintenance depots. In the future, this will make it possible to use winter services in a more targeted and sustainable manner and thus optimise the use of road salt.

A 2015 study by Frost&Sullivan found that in Europe and North America, drivers spend an average of 55 hours each year looking for a parking space in cities, accounting for around 40% of inner-city traffic.

With the new Mercedes me connect services On-Street Prediction (on the road) , Real-Time Information and Off-Street Information (in car parks), Mercedes-Benz drivers save valuable time, spare their nerves and at the same time reduce consumption and emissions when looking for a parking space. The real-time information is based, among other things, on data from other networked Mercedes-Benz vehicles that have just left a parking space or driven past potential parking spaces, which is then passed on to customers looking for a parking space