Maciej Nowakowski

BMW Cancels its "Autonomous Driving" System BMW is abandoning its "Personal Pilot L3" and reverting to Level 2. Mercedes has taken the same step, and BMW also recognizes that it is not capable of offering autonomous technology, but only driver assistance systems, and the two are as different as night and day. Until now, BMW with the 7 Series and its competitor Mercedes with the S-Class claimed to be pioneers in highly automated driving at Level 3 on the international stage, but this was marketing and never reflected reality. The systems had very limited applicability and were never technologically capable of enabling autonomous driving in all needed situations and conditions. BMW and Mercedes-Benz spent a lot of money to present themselves as technological leaders in the field of autonomous driving, but that is now over. The solutions developed by the two companies had no potential to offer autonomous driving to consumers. Instead, they tried to create an image with solutions that showed short-term successes but did not solve the real challenges like Tesla did. The press and media, especially in Germany, have not stopped pushing the solutions as globally leading. To claim leadership without a technical understanding reveals that these are not solutions. Furthermore, only a very small number of customers have purchased the SAE Level 3 systems from Mercedes and BMW, making their operation uneconomical. What BMW intends to continue offering as part of its SAE 2+ system is the so-called "Autobahn Assistant," which allows drivers to permanently remove their hands from the steering wheel at speeds up to 130 km/h (80 mph), although they must remain attentive and ready to intervene ("hands-off, eyes-on"). The system assists with vehicle control within the vehicle's lane and can also automatically change lanes if necessary – a simple visual confirmation from the driver is sufficient. While the system facilitates driving on Autobahns, it offers no solution for rural roads, cities, and villages, and has no potential for future operation without a driver monitoring the system in other words it is not autonomous and will never be. This stands in stark contrast to systems from Tesla and Waymo, which operate fully autonomously and without a driver in various US cities and drive significantly more safely than the average human driver. What we are currently witnessing is the admission that German manufacturers cannot offer any autonomous driving solutions, while Tesla FSD is gradually conquering and monetizing the market with a functioning and safe solution. Without a functioning, fully autonomous driving system, established automakers will lose large customer groups who can purchase a Tesla at a lower price, whose systems are already superior to the ADAS systems of BMW or Mercedes. While Tesla's FSD is constantly improving and SAE Level 4 is expected to become available to consumers in the US this year, it is likely that customers will continue to turn their back to German automakers.