BMW and Mercedes PAUSE on collaboration, timing is not right

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 have 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 explicitly wished to emphasise that cooperation may be resumed at a later date and that the two organisations’ 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.

Both sides concluded that the timing is not right for successful implementation of the cooperation.