On July 15, BMW announced a partnership with Chinese tech firm Momenta to jointly develop a new-generation intelligent driving assistance solution for the Chinese market. This solution fully combines the strengths of both sides in artificial intelligence and automotive engineering to create a safe, reliable, and practical intelligent driving experience tailored to "Chinese roads". This cooperation marks a crucial step in BMW's localized innovation in the field of intelligent driving, bringing advanced driving assistance functions more in line with local travel scenarios to Chinese consumers.
Tailored for Local Scenarios: All-Domain Navigation Assistance for Travel
Both parties will base their work on the intelligent architecture and hardware platform of domestically produced BMW new-generation models, focusing on cutting-edge areas of intelligent driving assistance. They will develop driving assistance function software based on AI large models and conduct continuous optimization and testing verification. The cooperation will focus on Chinese travel scenarios and user needs to create a "homegrown" intelligent driving assistance solution exclusive to China. This local driving assistance system will provide all-scenario, point-to-point navigation driving assistance functions, covering both highways and urban roads, handling long-distance self-driving and complex congested traffic conditions with ease. In the future, BMW owners will be able to achieve cross-city travel from parking out of a space, passing through urban areas and highways, and parking into a space at the destination, realizing worry-free travel in a "one-stop" manner. This solution will be applied to multiple models including domestically produced new-generation ones, covering various market segments.
Empowered by AI Large Models: Integrated Perception, Decision-Making, and Self-Evolving Upgrades
The technological core of the new-generation solution lies in an AI large model-driven "perception-planning-control" integrated architecture. With the advanced artificial intelligence algorithms provided by Momenta, the vehicle can understand complex road conditions and make decisions in a manner similar to that of a human driver, improving its adaptability to dynamic environments. This solution adopts an end-to-end large model technology, integrating ultra-large-scale neural networks for environmental perception, path planning, and vehicle control to achieve highly intelligent driving judgments. Compared with traditional rule-based systems, the large model solution can continuously self-learn and improve from driving data. Through over-the-air (OTA) upgrade functionality, the vehicle's software algorithms can continuously iterate and evolve. With this mechanism, BMW's new-generation driving assistance system will have the potential for "self-evolution," becoming smarter and more reliable throughout the product's entire lifecycle.
Gao Xiang, President and CEO of BMW Group Greater China, said, "BMW's unique product philosophy and approach to intelligent driving are deeply integrating with China's outstanding digital technologies to create pure intelligent driving fun with BMW DNA and Chinese intelligence for Chinese users. We look forward to setting another example of co-creation and win-win cooperation with Momenta, combining Chinese wisdom and the strengths of both parties to advance BMW's strategy of 'In China, For China, and Innovating at Chinese Speed' to a new stage." From Huawei and Alibaba to Momenta, BMW is betting on China for its intelligent transformation, expanding its cooperation with Chinese tech companies from digital ecosystems and AI interactions to the field of intelligent driving assistance, achieving a "cross-dimensional" breakthrough from the virtual world to real roads.
Cao Xudong, CEO of Momenta, said, "We are extremely honored to cooperate with the BMW Group. BMW has always been synonymous with driving pleasure and a leader in industry innovation. Momenta will fully leverage its expertise and advantages in the field of intelligent driving to jointly create an intelligent driving assistance product that integrates 'German-style excellent driving control' and 'cutting-edge capabilities of AI large models' with BMW, bringing users safe, convenient, and efficient future smart travel."
Comprehensive Safety Mechanisms: Strict Adherence to Data Security and User Privacy, Embodying 20 Years of BMW's Driving Assistance Experience
BMW's development philosophy for autonomous driving and driving assistance is based on safety (Safe), symbiotic co-driving thinking (Symbiotic), and intelligence-driven (Smart). Dr. Misial Ayoubi, Senior Vice President of Driving Experience at BMW Group, said, "Our cooperation with like-minded partners this time will provide Chinese customers with a unique driving assistance experience. We are fully committed to integrating BMW Group's more than 20 years of safety technology accumulation with Chinese local wisdom and top-notch AI technologies."
Safety has always been BMW's top requirement for driving assistance technologies. The new-generation system incorporates BMW's more than 20 years of safety technology accumulation in the field of driving assistance into its design, establishing a comprehensive safety redundancy and risk response mechanism. BMW began exploring driver assistance system technologies as early as the end of the last century and has continuously improved functions such as adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, collision warning, and gaze-based lane changing over the past two decades, laying a solid foundation for intelligent driving. The solution developed through this cooperation fully inherits and upgrades BMW's safety DNA. Relying on this safety foundation, the new-generation intelligent driving assistance solution will minimize driving risks, ensuring consistent safety protection while providing convenience, allowing users to truly experience "worry-free and daring to use" intelligent driving assistance. At the same time, BMW always adheres to strict data security and user privacy protection. The driving assistance system developed through this cooperation will strictly comply with Chinese laws and regulations throughout the entire process of data collection, storage, and use, ensuring that all vehicle data processing is carried out within a legal and compliant framework. This cooperation will integrate data security protection mechanisms into the product design DNA to ensure that the development of intelligent driving assistance functions is based on compliance, transparency, and trustworthiness.
"Local Intelligent Driving Assistance Solution" Empowers New-Generation "Ace" Technologies, Enhancing New-Generation Intelligent Driving Fun
BMW's new-generation models will redefine intelligent driving fun. BMW's groundbreaking self-developed technological breakthroughs in the fields of driving control and interaction, combined with the local intelligent driving assistance solution, jointly constitute BMW's unique advantages and competitive edge in the field of intelligent driving experience. Unlike other brands, BMW comprehensively considers a coordinated and holistic solution for intelligent interaction, control, and driving assistance at the development stage, striving to achieve a perfect balance among intelligent convenience, driving pleasure, and driving safety.
The "Driving Control Superbrain" and the "Panoramic iDrive Human-Machine Interaction" complement the "Chinese Local Intelligent Driving Assistance Solution," providing BMW with the confidence to rank among the top tier in intelligent driving experience. At the vehicle level, the "Driving Control Superbrain" provides a solid foundation for the Chinese local intelligent driving assistance system. For the first time, the "Driving Control Superbrain" combines the powertrain and chassis domains into one, integrating key control links such as driving, braking, steering, charging, and energy recovery into a coordinated system. Through real-time perception and adjustment of vehicle dynamic characteristics by the intelligent chassis, the vehicle response delay is less than one-thousandth of a second, and the information processing speed is increased by 10 times, allowing for hundreds of adjustments to be completed without the user's awareness. On this basis, the Chinese local intelligent driving assistance system, combined with integrated hardware-software environmental perception and road planning, assists each other to ensure that the vehicle can efficiently, smoothly, and "imperceptibly" respond to various complex scenarios.
At the user level, BMW's pioneering Panoramic iDrive, centered around the driver, provides groundbreaking human-machine interaction to safeguard intelligent driving assistance. From the driver's perspective, the four interaction interfaces of the new-generation ultra-sensory intelligent cockpit are arranged based on the "visual cone" design concept. The horizon panoramic display, centripetal center console, and 3D HUD interface comprehensively optimize the display method and hierarchy of driving assistance content, making rich information clear at a glance. Coupled with the "intuitive" one-touch operation of the ultra-sensory smart control steering wheel, human-vehicle interaction is smooth and natural, ensuring that the driver keeps their eyes on the road and focuses on driving. From information presentation to operation decision-making, it can be regarded as the most "secure" multi-modal interaction layout for driving assistance, taking BMW's unique intuitive, convenient, and safe "man-machine unity" driving experience to a new level.
Safety, reliability, and practical implementation will remain unwavering criteria for BMW's intelligent driving strategy in the Chinese market. Through the powerful alliance with the local tech force Momenta, BMW will deeply integrate globally leading automotive safety engineering with China's cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies to accelerate the implementation of intelligent driving assistance in China. This cooperation not only creates a new paradigm for BMW of "joint local innovation and serving local users" but also demonstrates the beautiful vision of both parties achieving co-creation, win-win results, and leading the transformation of future mobility.
