BMW has cleared an important hurdle on the way to a partially automated driving system for urban traffic. The German manufacturer says the system has passed the required driving tests carried out by an independent technical body. Final approval from the authorities is planned for the beginning of 2027.
Navigation and driver assistance working together
The new technology links the navigation system directly to the driver assistants. Once the driver has entered a destination, the car can do far more than keep its distance to the vehicle ahead. It can handle turns at junctions, change lanes, take right of way rules into account and guide the car through roundabouts.
BMW wants drivers to use the navigation guided assistance on the whole journey, from the motorway over country roads and into the city. The step from motorway to urban traffic is a big one. On a motorway, traffic moves broadly in the same direction. In a city, the car must deal with cyclists, pedestrians, oncoming vehicles, traffic lights and road users who do not always follow the rules.
BMW’s development director Joachim Post says the extension to urban areas gives customers a real improvement in driving comfort.
Symbiotic Drive keeps the driver involved
BMW calls the underlying approach Symbiotic Drive. Many assistants switch off as soon as the driver intervenes. BMW’s system is designed to cooperate with the person behind the wheel. The driver can adjust the speed, brake or steer without the whole assistance necessarily deactivating. The car also tries to read the driver’s intentions by monitoring steering movements and gaze direction.
The large 3D display shows the surroundings, the planned route and the manoeuvres the system is carrying out, which makes it easier to understand what the car is doing.
Hardware already fitted to several models
For future buyers, the key point is that the technology may not require a new car. According to BMW, the necessary hardware is already standard on the new generations of the iX3, iX4, X5, 3 Series and 7 Series. The functions can then be activated through a wireless software update.
BMW has not yet said what access to the advanced urban assistant will cost. Standard hardware does not automatically mean the feature will be free.
Germany first, Denmark later
BMW will launch the system in Germany during 2027 and then roll it out gradually to other countries. It is still unclear when BMW owners in Denmark will get it. Here Tesla has a head start. The Danish Road Traffic Authority granted a provisional Danish approval for Tesla’s Full Self Driving (Supervised) in June 2026 (here our test), and that system can also assist in complicated urban driving.
BMW therefore has to match Tesla’s technology and also get it onto the roads in countries where its rival already has the green light.
Still a level 2 system
The system is classified as level 2 on the international scale for automated driving. The driver remains fully responsible, must monitor traffic constantly and be ready to intervene. The day when drivers can hand over the entire journey to the car is still some way off, but BMW has moved a step closer.
