BMWs Will Tackle City Streets Without Your Help Next Year
The hardware is already installed on certain models
The ultimate driving machine no longer needs you to be the ultimate driver. BMW says that its cars will be able to handle intersections, roundabouts and anything a city can throw at them, all without your help, starting in 2027. BMW's existing Highway Assistant driver assist technology can steer, brake and accelerate the car by itself, as well as change lanes on highways while allowing drivers to take their hands off the wheel.
It can also stop at red lights and pull away when the lights turn green. But starting in 2027, the system gets even smarter with BMW Symbiotic Drive. New skills available when BMW Maps is active include urban lane changes, yielding to traffic that has the right of way, and tackling roundabouts. BMW says that these new capabilities work together with the existing system to allow for traveling from a freeway network through country roads and into a city, all without touching the wheel. Germany is first to get the new system, but other countries are slated to follow.
The hardware required to make Symbiotic Drive work is already built into the latest BMWs, including the iX3 and iX4 electric SUVs, the new X5, new 3 Series, and the facelifted 7 Series. Each of those vehicles has BMW's Panoramic Vision display at the base of the windshield, which will give drivers information about the status of the assistance and the upcoming automated maneuver on the touchscreen.
Although the hardware needed to make the system work will be fitted as standard, it will require an OTA software update to activate. That could cost extra and may take the form of a monthly subscription, though BMW hasn't explicitly said so.
Does this tech make BMWs fully autonomous?
BMW's new driver assist software could help relieve the tedium of city driving, while still leaving you free to enjoy country roads. But don't go thinking you'll be able to doomscroll while commuting to work, or finish that presentation you forgot to finish. You still need to keep your eyes on the road — a camera will make sure you do — even if your hands aren't on the wheel. Get distracted and the car reverts fully to your control.
That's because the system is only rated at Level 2 (L2) under the framework established by the Society of Automotive Engineers, with Level 0 being no assistance and 5 being fully self-driving. Ford's BlueCruise and GM's Super Cruise are also ranked as L2 systems, although GM is gearing up to deliver something more advanced on the Cadillac Escalade IQ due in 2028.
BMW has previously offered a Level 3 system, as did Mercedes. Cars like the 7 Series and S Class, when optioned with the right equipment, would let you hand-off driving duties to the car on select routes. Emails, Netflix, and video games while traveling at 60 mph were all possible. But both automakers have temporarily pulled back from L3 tech due to the cost of the lidar equipment needed to make it work, and poor customer uptake. BMW thinks this new L2 tech will be more useful to drivers, while costing less money.