MANILA: BMW is now the first car brand to have secured approval to combine Level 2 partial driving automation and Level 3 conditional driving automation technologies in a single car. 

The said packages, in the context of the German car brand, are the BMW Highway Assistant for Level 2 and the BMW Personal Pilot for Level 3. The said self-driving features will be made available in the all-new BMW 7-series sold in the company’s home market. 

According to BMW Group Senior Vice President for Driving Experience Dr. Mihiar Ayoubi, combining the aforementioned technology packages makes for a more comfortable driving experience. 

“We are setting new standards in the automotive industry by combining both technologies in the new BMW 7 Series. In the process, we are underlining our commitment to offering our customers a safe, comfortable and innovative driving experience.”

As the Munich-headquartered carmaker shared, the BMW Highway Assistant is usable up to speeds of 130 kilometers per hour and can keep the vehicle steady and adjust its speed on expressways without the driver’s hands on the wheel.  It can likewise perform automatic lane changes for overtaking with the driver's approval which is done effortlessly by looking at the car’s side mirrors. 

The BMW Personal Pilot, meanwhile, allows the vehicle to drive itself up to 60 kph. The said feature allows users to temporarily leave the task of piloting the car to be able to handle other in-car activities such as making phone calls, writing messages, and fiddling with the car’s infotainment system, among others. 

According to the German car company, it can also handle automated maneuvering through traffic jams. However, users should be prepared to regain manual control of the vehicle when prompted. 

For now, the marque also did not share plans to make the Level 2 and Level 3 combo available in other territories, but would the BMW Level 2 and Level 3 autonomous driving combo work in the Philippine setting?

Photos from BMW

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