Car manufacturers in Germany have been competing to be the first to bring autonomous cars onto the roads. BMW appears to have an edge, as it has received a special permit for its “motorway assistance” from the Federal Motor Transport Authority. This allows drivers of the new 5-series model to take their hands off the steering wheel on motorways at a maximum speed of 130 km/h. The system regulates speed, distance, and also steers. In the USA and Canada, the highway assistant is already available in the BMW 7 Series luxury sedans. In Germany, the new 5 Series sedan is the first vehicle from BMW with this option of semi-automated driving.
The 5 Series sedan is scheduled to be released in October 2023 with a price starting at just under 60,000 euros. The highway assistant feature costs an additional 850 euros and is only available with the Driving Assistant Professional package and BMW Connected Drive services. Since the beginning of 2023, semi-autonomous driving at a speed of 130 km/h has been permitted in Germany on roads with separate carriageways. Other car manufacturers, such as Audi, Porsche, and Mercedes, also want to bring Level 3 autonomous driving systems to the market. Mercedes recently became the first automaker to receive approval for its Drive Pilot driver assistance system in California.
When BMW’s Autobahn Assistant is active, drivers are allowed to take their hands off the steering wheel as long as they remain attentive to the traffic situation. BMW constantly monitors this with an interior camera and provides optical and acoustic warnings to inattentive drivers. If there is no response, the Emergency Stop Assist feature will intervene and safely stop the vehicle. The system can also suggest a lane change, which drivers can confirm and initiate by checking the exterior mirror.
