Mercedes had a self-driving car prototype in the 80s and got it to drive at high speeds on the Autobahn in the 90s. [1]
So it took them only 30 years from protoype to product.
[1]: https://www.politico.eu/article/delf-driving-car-born-1986-e...
Autobahn is a much, much lower bar than urban traffic though.
Furthermore, although it's for use on the autobahn, it's limited to 37 MPH, further narrowing its use case.
Re:A 2030 Self-Driving Car Bet
by carstenhag on Friday March 04, 2022 @05:46PM
(#30561646)
People buying EQS' will very likely spend most of their time on the Autobahn, so it's a perfect fit.
German source, you will probably find an English one as well - even contains a video: https://www.golem.de/news/s-klasse-mit-level-3-mercedes-darf...