BMW Doesn’t Want to Engineer Autonomous Driving Alone
Autonomous driving is all the rage right now, with automotive companies stepping over each other to try and have the best technology on the road first to set benchmarks and consumer expectations. BMW is taking it a touch slower because it wants to make sure that what it sends out onto dealerships is a quality system that works well. According to recent statements by BMW’s leadership team, it also seems that it is looking for another company to assist it.
According to Bloomberg, Klaus Froehlich, BMW AG’s head of development, has said that the manufacturing group is looking to possibly form a lasting partnership with an existing tech firm or acquire smaller organizations to make the ultimate self-driving car. The new team would also look at other BMW technology to help make BMWs the best vehicles on the road.
Like many other automakers, BMW’s future is focusing on both consumer sales and providing transportation for the generation that puts less importance on owning a car themselves and more on just having access to transportation. Any new tech acquisitions could help the company create better cars for car sharing or driving services like Uber.
If future performance is any indication, it seems as if BMW might look to partner with a smaller startup that it can help grow and shape as it matures. Recently, BMW iVentures bought a minority stakes in a company named RideCell, which focuses on ways to book a ride in a vehicle. BMW will be using its technology for a service in Seattle (which could possibly be the popular ReachNow program). Whichever company BMW chooses to partner with will clearly be a major part in determining how the German automaker will conquer a driverless world.
News Source: Bloomberg
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