March 04, 2019: The BMW Group has been working on highly automated driving since 2006, and has established a non-exclusive platform with technology specialists, suppliers and OEMs to take it to series maturity, while Daimler AG has been working on series development projects not only for specific Level 3 vehicles but also for Levels 4 and 5.
The two companies have therefore decided to join forces and signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop next-generation technologies for driver assistance systems, automated driving on highways and parking features (up to SAE Level 4).
The BMW Group and Daimler AG view their partnership as a long-term, strategic cooperation and aim to make next-level technologies widely available by the middle of the coming decade.
“As we continue to pursue our strategy, we are combining the expertise of two technology leaders. At the BMW Group, long-term partnerships within a flexible, scalable, non-exclusive platform are fundamental to advancing the industrialisation of autonomous driving. Combining the key expertise of our two companies will boost our innovative strength and speed up the spread of this technology,” said Klaus Fröhlich, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development.
