BMW will develop “home” its autonomous driving software? – Macity (Blog)

The head of Research and Development BMW admits that the automaker is delayed in the cars to autonomous driving sector, but explains that the company is committed to accelerating and wants to catch up.

on the occasion of the 86th international Motor Show Geneva 2016, Klaus Froehlich, a member of the Board of Directors Head of sector Research and Development BMW spoke with Reuters revealing that it is the intention of the vehicle manufacturer to develop its own software technologies, including those for autonomous driving.

at the Geneva Motor Show House has its world premiere the new M760Li xDrive and made his debut iPerformance, core-brand that since July 2016 will complete the name of all the plug-in hybrid cars the house.

Froehlich explained that BMW is working internally to the future evolution of the automotive business of explaining not only want to become the producer of a range of products such as it happens, by analogy, in the smartphone sector. “We want to preserve our business model, without surrendering to a player of the internet world”; “Otherwise we like Foxconn which is to work for a company like Apple, providing them with only the

In the past, rumors have emerged agreements between Apple and BMW, with a particular interest in the Mela BMW i3, car with carbon fiber interior, pure electric powered, mobility for sustainability and zero emissions. When told by the manager, however, it seems to refute agreements being not only with Apple but also other big Silicon Valley.

It seems however that BMW has plans to grow the team in charge of research and development; at the moment only 20% of them (out of a total of 30,000 persons) deals with software development. Froehlich admits that BMW can not manage at home everything related to software development, but that the aim is to have partners or outsource work. “If they ask me to arrive at a ratio of 50 to 50 within five years to accelerate and recover in this area, then I would need at least another 15,000 or 20,000 more people, including employees, partners and external suppliers.”

agreements between BMW and Apple are not however be excluded. In 2014 Tim Cook visited the BMW plant in Leipzig, where the Monaco Group has built a modern car plant that would impress the CEO of Apple, a staging environment “heavenly” (awarded by industry observers) where it is produced l ‘ electric car group with carbon body much like the Apple.

Recently, BMW has hired 200 new employees, all destined to a team that ocucperà digital nnovation and work in Chicago. Many of the assumptions have worked in past years in special units of Nokia. “Obbiamo find the weak points in the competition and there go to seek common interests said Froehlich. “We must not give our potential, but we need to grow our expertise in this field, in our house.”