Test Drive BMW unveils first self-driving model in 2021.

The Bavarians created an autonomous control system with Intel and Mobileye.

The German company BMW is fully committed to the development of the self-driving car. Elmar Frikenstein, the first vice president of BMW for development of unmanned vehicles, announced this to the authoritative edition of Automotive News. According to him, a car with an autonomous system, which will meet the fifth level, will be presented in 2021.

“We are working on this project to show the model in 2021 with the third, fourth and fifth levels of autonomous driving,” said the top manager.

The fifth level of autonomous control implies the absence of a driver. Such a car lacks the usual steering wheel and pedals. An unmanned system of the third level requires that a driver is at the wheel, who can take control at any time.

BMW creates a self-driving system with Intel and Mobileye. They should help the Germans develop "intelligence" and "devices" that fully meet the requirements for an autonomous vehicle. According to preliminary information, the new model will be called i-Next.

The self-driving BMW will receive an improved electric powertrain. Currently, the German company is actively working to reduce the size of the electric drive, as well as to create a cheaper and less voluminous battery.

As previously reported, using radars and cameras, the autonomous i-Next will be able to "see" at a distance of up to 200 meters. He can benefit from the help of a cloud service from which he gets information about traffic jams, accidents and road repairs. The company acknowledges that autonomous control may be much easier to implement in the United States and Germany than in China due to the chaotic traffic there.

BMW plans to start testing self-driving cars in the second half of this year. The tests will take place on the roads of the USA and Europe. It will use 40 Series 7 vehicles. The new technology is expected to be available to other vehicle manufacturers as well.

2020-08-30