NVIDIA's Drive automation debuts in Mercedes‑Benz CLA

NVIDIA will supply its DRIVE AV software to the all-new Mercedes‑Benz CLA, marking a production launch of an enhanced level 2 point-to-point driver-assistance system in the United States this year.

The chipmaker said this rollout signals the start of a broader deployment of its full-stack software across the automotive industry.

The CLA is Mercedes‑Benz’s first vehicle featuring the MB.OS platform and introduces driver-assistance features powered by NVIDIA’s full-stack DRIVE AV software, AI infrastructure and accelerated compute, the company said in a statement.

The firm added that the vehicle’s design may enable over-the-air updates and planned enhancements to MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO, which may be delivered ex-factory or via the Mercedes‑Benz store.

NVIDIA described DRIVE AV as an AI end-to-end stack running alongside a parallel classical safety stack built on the NVIDIA Halos safety system, adding redundancy and safety guardrails, the company added.

“As the automotive industry embraces physical AI, NVIDIA is the intelligence backbone that makes every vehicle programmable, updatable and perpetually improving through data and software,” said Ali Kani, vice president of automotive at NVIDIA.

“Starting with Mercedes‑Benz and its incredible new CLA, we’re celebrating a stunning achievement in safety, design, engineering and AI-powered driving that will turn every car into a living, learning machine.”

The company said the unified architecture enables expanded level 2 automated driving capabilities such as point-to-point urban navigation, advanced active safety with proactive collision avoidance, automated parking in tight spaces and cooperative steering between system and driver.

NVIDIA and Mercedes‑Benz are also using NVIDIA Omniverse and the NVIDIA Cosmos platform to create digital twins of factories and assembly lines for virtual design, planning and validation, the company said.

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NVIDIA outlined a cloud-to-car development pipeline that uses DGX systems for large-scale model training, Omniverse and Cosmos for simulation and validation, and DRIVE AGX and DRIVE Hyperion for in-vehicle compute and sensor architecture, the company said.

The CLA recently achieved a five-star EuroNCAP safety rating, the company noted, with MB.DRIVE active safety features contributing to that score.

The Recap

• NVIDIA DRIVE AV will appear in Mercedes‑Benz CLA.
• CLA recently achieved a five-star EuroNCAP safety rating.
• Production launch in the U.S. expected by end of year.