BMW and Daimler are teaming up to develop automated driving technology.
The two German automotive giants said in a joint statement that the partnership will focus on the development of technologies for automated driving on highways, automated parking, and assisted driving systems.
Further talks are also planned “to extend the cooperation to higher levels of automation in urban areas and city centres,” the companies said, adding that they will implement the technologies in their cars independently.
“Efforts will focus on developing a scalable architecture for driver assistance systems, including sensors, as well as a joint data centre for data storage, administration and processing, and the development of functions and software,” the companies said.
The technology being developed will be specified to SAE Level 4. Level 4 vehicles are capable of completing an entire journey without driver intervention but may be confined to a certain geographical area. It is expected to feature in passenger car systems for private customers from 2024.
A total of 1,200 technicians from both companies will work together on developing new systems. They will be based at locations including the Mercedes-Benz Technology Centre (MTC) in Sindelfingen, the Daimler Testing and Technology Centre in Immendingen and the BMW Group Autonomous Driving Campus in Unterschleissheim, near Munich.
The two firms said that the cooperation is “non-exclusive” and open to other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and technology partners, with results being made available to other OEMs under license.
