The BMW Group and Daimler will work together to develop self-driving cars, driver assistance systems, and automated parking systems. These systems are expected to be in market by mid-2020s.
The alliance focused on automated vehicles
The alliance of the giants of automotive sector is initially focused on the development of next-generation technologies for automated driving or self-driving on highways, driver assistance systems, and automated car parking features. The association would focus on Level 3 and Level 4 of driving automation, defined by SAE International. SAE International is a global association of over 128,000 engineers and has developed 5 levels of driving automation.
For Level 3, the driver will be present but will interfere only if necessary and Level 4 is fully automated. The automobiles are to be designed to execute all the safety-critical driving functions and observer roadway conditions for the whole voyage. Moreover, the union highlights the auto industry’s swing towards new technologies and business models based on software and mobile communications. The joint venture will develop an ascending architecture for different levels of automation.
Joint venture to boost innovative strength
Ola Källenius, Daimler’s Board Member for Research and Development said, “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.”
BMW Board Member, Klaus Fröhlich stated, “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.”
Earlier JV offers digital and mobile services
This is second affiliation of the automakers; recently they merged for digital and mobile services that offer app-based services like free-floating car-sharing in metro cities. The association promises rapid growth for the twos in car-sharing, ride-hailing, and ticketless parking. This particular alliance is headquartered in Berlin and is organized in five different operations comprising of charging services, ride-hailing, ticketless parking, car sharing, etc.
