BMW and Daimler have announced that the two companies are teaming up to develop self-driving technology that will be used by future autonomous vehicles.
The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to advance the development of next-generation technologies for driver assistance systems, automated driving on highways and parking features.
“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 industrialization 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.
The new technology will enable Level 3 and 4 automated driving on highways. Plus, BMW and Daimler plan to discuss the possibility of extending their collaboration to cover higher levels of automation, both on highways and in urban areas.
“Autonomous driving is one of the most revolutionary trends for us at the moment, and the entire Daimler Group is working very hard on it,” stated Ola Källenius, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG. “As always at Daimler, our top priority is safety. Instead of individual, stand-alone solutions, we want to develop a reliable overall system that offers noticeable added-value for customers. Working with the right partners, we want to make significant advances in enhancing the performance of this technology and bring it safely on the road.”
