Watching videos or answering emails while driving: This is what a highly automated driving system promises. After Mercedes-Benz, BMW now also wants to bring this onto the market in Germany.
After Mercedes-Benz, BMW now also wants to sell self-driving luxury cars in Germany. “We have approval from the Federal Motor Transport Authority to offer level 3 automated driving in Germany,” said BMW division manager Nicolai Martin to the “Handelsblatt”. “The system will be introduced in the seven-series later this year.”
With highly automated driving level 3, the driver can temporarily leave the driving to the computer and no longer has to look at the road – he “can watch videos or answer emails,” explained Martin. However, he must take control again within a few seconds whenever the computer asks him to do so. In Germany, the driving computers from Mercedes-Benz and BMW are allowed to drive completely independently on motorways in traffic jams or in heavy traffic up to 60 km / h without the driver having to look at the road.
BMW has not yet provided any information about the price of the system. BMW CEO Oliver Zipse expressed skepticism about the market prospects in Las Vegas in January: “No customer will buy a level 3 system that constantly switches off in rain, fog, in tunnels and in the dark,” he said . The BMW 5 Series has now become the first car to receive approval for partially automated driving up to 130 km/h on motorways in Germany: the driver can take his hands off the steering wheel, but must follow the traffic carefully and be able to take over again at any time. In August, the Ford Mustang Mach-E also received approval for partially automated driving up to 130 km/h on motorways in Germany.
Source: Stern
