BMW Aims To Build The Most Intelligent Car
The automotive landscape is undergoing a change in scenery with new entrants having more expertise in high technology than good old mechanical engineering. Tech companies like Apple, Google, Tesla, Faraday Future and Techrules are slowly redefining the automobile. Maybe this is just a tech-fad, or maybe it’s here to stay but traditional automakers aren’t taking chances. Established companies like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Ford and GM have been putting resources into the development of autonomous and alternative-fuel vehicles.
The latest BMW 7 Series is already filled with the latest and greatest of high technology that a car could possibly have, like self-parking and autonomous driving features. But as the BMW brand celebrates its 100th birthday, BMW AG board member Klaus Fröhlich said it’s crucial for the company to build ‘the most intelligent car’. “Our task is to preserve our business model without surrendering it to an Internet player. Otherwise we will end up as the Foxconn for a company like Apple, delivering only the metal bodies for them,” he said.
To stay ahead in the digital age, BMW has to increase its software engineer headcount and strengthen its R&D team. Presently, only 20% of BMW’s 30,000 employees are software engineers. The company’s goal is to increase that to 50%; the software engineers will focus on the development of artificial intelligence and cloud computing for improved autonomous driving.
Fröhlich also mentioned that BMW may license out its proprietary technology on electric drivetrains to other manufacturers in order to spread the R&D cost.
With software propelling its future cars, ‘sheer driving pleasure’ will have a different meaning.
