Report Daimler BMW Audi AV alliance

[dalab]

Audi to join Daimler, BMW self-driving tech alliance, report says

FRANKFURT -- Audi will join an alliance with rivals Daimler and BMW to develop advanced autonomous driving systems, German weekly Wirtschaftswoche saidon Thursday.

BMW and Daimler said in July they have entered into a long-term development partnership to develop highly automated driving functions to enable "hands off" autonomous driving on highways as well as automated parking.

More:
europe.autonews.com/automakers/audi-join-daimler-bmw-self-driving-tech-alliance-report-says

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Dammit. Was hoping they would snub VW on this.

 

[klier]

Dammit. Was hoping they would snub VW on this.

Better to have them all together against Google and Apple, imo

 

[mini_cooper4]

So, "Tesla and all the rest" is actually starting to become a thing now.

 

[LaArtist]

Nooooo not bi m viii

Damn it

 

[EnI]

It was inevitable ... after the same German Trio bought HERE from Nokia in 2015 ... since good mapping is a precondition for a proper AD system. Other partners / shareholders in HERE are: Intel, Bosch, Continental and Pioneer. Audi will most probably also bring NVIDIA into the equation. While VW is sticking with Ford in the AD project. But I guess Porsche can join the BMW, MB, Audi project soon.

IMHO next step will be that BMW - Intel AD consortium will also become an official part of this collaboration. Intel (incl LIDAR developer Mobileye) is already there. So is Continental. The consortium also includes Magna, Delphi, and FIAT-Chrysler.

I wouldn't be surprised seeing JLR & Volvo joining the project too.

And many of the mentioned carmakers may join the BMW-Daimler mobility services joint-venture. Since AD & mobility services are a part of the same "future mobility" formula.

 

[dalab]

It was inevitable ... after the same German Trio bought HERE from Nokia in 2015 ... since good mapping is a precondition for a proper AD system. Other partners / shareholders in HERE are: Intel, Bosch, Continental and Pioneer. Audi will most probably also bring NVIDIA into the equation. While VW is sticking with Ford in the AD pro...

How interesting are these issues, acquisitions and all that they imply, they bought HERE saving the broken NOKIA cell phones, then INTEL buys 15% of HERE and everyone wants a piece, now it turns out that BMW-AUDI-MERCEDES have 3% of Pionner Thanks to HERE, it is entangled but also a demonstration of how to manage to always remain leading companies, whatever the global environment.

All these investments have been paying off for years.
Through which division their earnings are disclosed (those of HERE, Movility Services, BMW Ventures, etc.), do integrate BMW financial services numbers?

Something that I read from a very important internal source said that most of BMW's profits come from patents, which I always thought should exist in one way or another but I wasn't sure, is this true?

 

[Cashmere]

So, "Tesla and all the rest" is actually starting to become a thing now.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend" or Unite and conquer.

Just goes to show that the German car makers will not be using self driving tech as a differentiator for selling their own vehicles. I think the plan is to co-develop a universal platform with a similar technology stack (i.e. hardware from MobilEye/Nvidia and Software from HERE) that can be licensed to every carmaker for a nominal fee (a la Android where the underlying OS is identical with each vendor applying their own skin on top). Long run, its all about marketshare - the platform that has the largest user base will be the most valuable.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

How does it make sense for Audi to be working with BMW and Mercedes but VW with Ford?

 

[TheNewBATMAN]

How does it make sense for Audi to be working with BMW and Mercedes but VW with Ford?

So the VW Group gets the best results of both ventures and can adjust accordingly in the future ? Dipping a finger in both jars

 

[dalab]

How does it make sense for Audi to be working with BMW and Mercedes but VW with Ford?

Is that it is "premium" autonomous driving

 

[dalab]

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend" or Unite and conquer.

Just goes to show that the German car makers will not be using self driving tech as a differentiator for selling their own vehicles. I think the plan is to co-develop a universal platform with a similar technology stack (i.e. hardware from MobilEye/Nvidia and Software from HERE) that ca...

That is a very clear possibility, but what carmakers are left who are not developing their own systems or are already allied with another carmaker or with a technology company?

Maybe at the end of the road there is the possibility that some of these systems may not work properly or others are clearly superior, in that case paying a fee abandoning a very long investigation would be the smartest thing to do and having human lives at stake, whoever hits first will hit two times