Mercedes-Benz is adding two pieces of controversial tech to its lineup in 2026. The company announced Tuesday plans to put a steer-by-wire system into production starting next year, paired to a racing-inspired “yoke” shaped steering wheel.
Steer-by-wire is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of a physical connection between the steering wheel and the front wheels, a steer-by-wire system processes the driver’s steering requests through an electrical connection and a computer.
Photo by: Mercedes-Benz
There are some serious advantages to a steer-by-wire system. It allows engineers to vastly adjust steering ratio based on driving scenarios, making situations like parking far easier, as drivers don’t have to spin the wheel over several revolutions to go from lock to lock.
Mercedes says steer-by-wire improves directional stability and lateral agility too, working in tandem with the company’s rear-wheel steering, which can steer at an angle of up to 10 degrees. There will be more variability when it comes to drive modes, too. It can even eliminate vibrations from the road surface, since the system removes the connection between the front wheel and the driver’s hands.
Steer-by-wire’s versatility means drivers won’t ever have to cross arm-over-arm to steer the wheel, meaning Mercedes can now use a “yoke” steering wheel, similar to the setup found on the Tesla Cybertruck. The racing-inspired shape might not be everyone’s taste, but Mercedes says it opens up new avenues for interior design, allowing a better view of the instrument cluster and easier egress, since the flat bottom doesn’t block the leg area.
The biggest concern for any steer-by-wire tech is the system’s ability to correctly translate the driver’s inputs under any and all scenarios. If a car with steer-by-wire suddenly loses all power, then theoretically, the driver loses all directional control. In a traditional steering system, at least there’s still a physical connection between the driver and the wheels.
Photo by: Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes says it’s already put over 1 million kilometers (621,000 miles) on its steer-by-wire system in testing. The setup has a “redundant system architecture” that uses twice the number of actuators required for the system to function, along with backup onboard data and power supply units. Even if the system fails completely, “lateral guidance is still possible thanks to rear-axle steering and targeted wheel-specific braking interventions” through the company’s electronic stability controls.
There’s no telling which Mercedes vehicles will get the steer-by-wire system, though, considering the company is using a camouflaged EQS to show off the tech, we’d guess that’ll be the first car to see the tech in action.
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