BMW, Mercedes stop the joint development of autonomous vehicle technology

In a joint statement, BMW and Mercedes said that the timing of the partnership was not correct given the current economic and economic conditions.

The cooperation between BMW and the parent company Daimler Mercedes in other areas remains unaffected
The joint development of autonomous technologies could be resumed in the future
BMW and Mercedes-Benz announced their cooperation plans in February 2019, but the companies have now made a statement that they have stopped developing their vehicle technology together.

German builders said that “they have reached a mutually agreed agreement to focus on existing development paths – including working with current or new partners.”

The joint statement added that the partnership could be resumed at a later date and that companies’ approach to “driving safety and customer benefits remains highly compatible”.

The announcement has no impact on the collaboration between the parent company BMW and Mercedes Daimler in other areas. In 2015 you partnered with Audi to acquire the location and technology platform Here. In early 2019, they pooled their mobility services into a joint partnership of EUR 1 billion (GBP 907 million) that includes car sales, electric vehicle charging and car transportation.

In the statement, the decision was explained: “Until the contract was signed last year, the BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz AG could not hold detailed discussions about experts and talk to suppliers about technology roadmaps.

In these discussions – and after a thorough review – both sides came to the conclusion that, given the cost of creating a common technology platform and current economic and economic conditions, the timing for the successful implementation of the collaboration is not right.

Although no further details have been given, the move shows the growing importance of non-automotive partners to achieve technology-driven goals. It also shows the enormous impact of the recent pandemic and the consequent need for manufacturers to prioritize certain areas of their business to ensure profitability.

BMW development manager Klaus Fröhlich said: “We have systematically developed our technology and scalable platform with partners such as Intel, Mobileye, FCA and Ansys. Our current generation of technology offers a very strong and long-lasting potential With extremely powerful sensors and computing power, our robust modular system puts us in an excellent position to offer our customers what they have needed for many years .

Mercedes Research and Development Manager Markus Schäfer commented: “Our expertise complements that of the BMW Group very well, as it has proven our successful cooperation. In addition to decarbonization, digitization is an important strategic pillar for Mercedes-Benz. In order to prepare ourselves for the future challenges of a rapidly changing environment, we are currently calling for other options with partners outside the automotive sector.

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