Mercedes S-Crash!

German media outlet Auto Motor und Sport and Stern TV have posted pictures of a safety system demonstration gone hilariously wrong.

I'm sure some of our German-speaking readers will fill in the details, but in this case a picture's worth a thousand words, as they say.

Apparently, the event was a demo of the S-Class Brake Assist PLUS system which ensures emergency braking if there's a risk of hitting the vehicle in front. The photo captions suggest that the metal structure of the Safety Center interfered with the braking system's radar sensor.

File this one under "Public Relations Disasters." More pics after the jump! [An english-language article is here. - Thanks, Tim!]