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BMW To Compete With Google To Build Software For Self-Driving Cars (reuters.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the the-more-the-merrier dept.

SmartAboutThings writes: Google is about to get some serious competition in the self-driving car race from none other than BMW, one of the most prominent names in the car industry. Speaking to Reuters, BMW's Head of Research and Development, Klaus Frohlich, said the following while present at the Geneva Motor Show: "For me it is a core competence to have the most intelligent car. Our task is to preserve our business model without surrendering it to an internet player. Otherwise we will end up as the Foxconn for a company like Apple, delivering only the metal bodies for them." BMW believes its competitors in the future will include internet taxi service Uber and sales website TrueCar. As the company is approaching its 100th birthday, the company is now on a quest to build the "ultimate driving machine." The company is preparing for a world in which its customers will be mere passengers, and the cars will do the driving themselves.

3 of 124 comments (clear)

  1. Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    90% of the reason I buy BMWs is because they ar enjoyable to drive. If it drives itself then they are alienating their fan base, who may as well buy from other manufacturers.

  2. What makes them think they can deliver? by mysidia · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Google is about to get some serious competition in the self-driving car race from none other than BMW

    Google has been working on this AI problem since probably 2008 or so and been road-testing self-driving cars since 2011. As far as I know BMW has no development at all on this concept.

    What makes BMW think they have some great insight into the artificial intelligence problem, that will make it possible for them to emerge as a serious autonomous vehicle competitor today, if Google is already 5 years ahead in learning and development of the software, data collection, and STILL does not believe their fully autonomous vehicle can be fully productized until 2020?

    Even Tesla has a head start on BMW.

    Autonomous driving is not a simple solved problem. It's not like you can just slap a clone together and have it out within a year or something....

    Research and development is an extremely long process, there, and as far as I know BMW's R and D is focused on building cars.... they probably don't have people who even know about robotics, let-alone AI for the self-driving problem.

  3. Re:Great. by PopeRatzo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Actually, as an avid cyclist, I can tell you there are worse cars for harboring asshole drivers.

    And as an avid driver, I can tell you that avid cyclists are the biggest assholes on the road, by far. It's not even close.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.