I call B/S on about half of these so called Benz 1st's ast your post almost reads from MB web site. Also if the US Gov. & auto industry had not done the leg work for the Mighty MB they wouldn't have bettered the US systems. The US had manual 3pt. belts in '68.
Crumple zones, stability control, and brake assist look to be true MB innovation though.
Modern ABS
Chrysler, together with the Bendix Corporation, introduced a true computerized three-channel all-wheel antilock brake system called "Sure Brake" on the 1971 Imperial.[3] It was available for several years thereafter, functioned as intended, and proved reliable. General Motors introduced the "Trackmaster" rear-wheel (only) ABS as an option on their Rear-wheel drive Cadillac models in 1971.[4][5]
In 1975, Robert Bosch took over a European company called Teldix (contraction of Telefunken and Bendix) and all the patents registered by this joint-venture and took advantage out of this acquisition to build the base of the system introduced on the market some years later. The German firms Bosch and Mercedes-Benz had been co-developing anti-lock braking technology since the 1970s, and introduced the first completely electronic 4-wheel multi-channel ABS system in trucks and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in 1978. The Honda NSX was the first to mass produced automobile with the modern 4-channel ABS system sold in the United States and Japan, it applies individual brake pressure to each of the four wheels.
In addition, ABS is now gaining popularity on Heavy-duty trucks.
Traction control
The predecessor of modern electronic traction control systems can be found in high-torque, high-power rear-wheel drive cars as a limited slip differential.[citation needed] Limited slip differentials are a purely mechanical system that transfer a relatively small amount of power to the non-slipping wheel, it still allows some wheel spin to occur.
In 1971 the Buick division of GM introduced MaxTrac, which used an early computer system to detect rear wheel spin and modulate engine power to those wheels to provide the most traction. A Buick-exclusive at the time, it was an option on all full-size models, including the Riviera, Estate Wagon, Electra 225, Centurion, and popular LeSabre family sedan. Cadillac also introduced the ill fated Traction Monitoring System (TMS) in 1979 on the redesigned Eldorado. It was criticized for its slow reaction time and extremely high failure rate.
Stability control = BMW 1st
http://www.safetyresearch.net/Library/SRS028.htm