Mercedes Made The All-New C-Class Bigger Because People Are Getting Taller

Mercedes-Benz is getting ready to launch the all-new C-Class, and the luxury options and technologies it has packed into the sedan show just how quickly cars are evolving.

The lighter and more fuel-efficient C-Class has a control pad that looks like it was stolen from a spaceship.

It also comes with "GPS-sensitive air conditioning," which protects occupants from breathing filthy air when they drive through a tunnel.

With the Adaptive Highbeam Assist plus, you can keep your brights on without blinding oncoming traffic - it works "by masking out other vehicles in the cone of light."

The C-Class will also come with the "active fragrancing and ionisation" that it debuted in the 2014 S-Class this year. Basically, it's an active odor system that keeps your car smelling as fancy as it should.

The C-Class is matching human evolution, too: It's 3.74 inches longer than the outgoing model, "to take account of people's increasing average height."

Since the 1870s, the average height of European men has increased by over 4 inches, according to Britain's National History Museum.

Among Mercedes sedans, the C-Class is a step above the CLA-Class, which now starts for under $30,000. It's below the fancier E-Class and S-Class, which cost $51,400 and $92,900, respectively.

The new sedan will debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month. Pricing has not been announced, but the current C-Class starts for $35,800.