BMW and Mercedes put autonomous car alliance on hold

BMW and Mercedes have put a partnership which would have seen the pair developing the next generation of autonomous cars together “on hold”.

The combination has been put under ‘extensive review’ and, following this, the pair have decided on a ‘mutual and amicable agreement’ to concentrate on their own development plans.

Klaus Fröhlich, member of the board of management of BMW AG, responsible for development, said: “We have systematically further developed our technology and scalable platform with partners like Intel, Mobileye, FCA and Ansys.

“Our current technology generation offers very strong, sustainable potential: With extremely powerful sensors and computing power, our robust modular system puts us in an excellent position to offer our customers what they need for many years.”

Both firms have been keen to point out that the partnership could be resumed at a later date, however, the ‘expense involved in creating a shared technology platform, as well as current business and economic conditions’ meant that it wasn’t the right time to continue with the collaboration.

Markus Schäfer, member of the board of management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG; responsible for Daimler Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars COO: “Our expertise complements that of the BMW Group very well, as our successful collaborations have proved. Next to decarbonisation, digitalisation is a major strategic pillar for Mercedes-Benz. To prepare for the future challenges of a rapidly changing environment, we are currently also sounding out other possibilities with partners outside the automotive sector.”