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BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz AG put partnership on next-gen automated driving on hold

The BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz AG are putting their cooperation on development of next-generation technology for automated driving temporarily on hold.

The two companies said that after extensive review, they arrived at a mutual and amicable agreement to concentrate on their existing development paths, which may also include working with current or new partners. Both emphasized that cooperation may be resumed at a later date and that the two organizations’ underlying approach to matters such as safety and customer benefits in the field of automated driving remains highly compatible.

The BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz AG are both working separately on current generations for highly-automated driving and have achieved major progress in this field in the past. However, the BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz AG were unable to hold detailed expert discussions and talk to suppliers about technology roadmaps until the contract was signed last year.

In these talks—and after extensive review—both sides concluded that, in view of the expense involved in creating a shared technology platform, as well as current business and economic conditions, the timing is not right for successful implementation of the cooperation.

Both companies also underlined that they would continue working in close cooperation in the remaining fields as planned. In 2015, the two companies joined with Audi AG to acquire the location and technology platform HERE, which now has a very broad and international shareholder structure. In early 2019, the BMW Group and Daimler AG also pooled their mobility services in a joint venture under the umbrella of the NOW family.

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