Under-pressure BMW sees future in self-driving car

BMW, which became the world’s largest maker of luxury cars by focusing on Autobahn thrills, is shifting gears to automated driving as urbanisation and changing attitudes toward cars redefine transportation.

“In the future, ‘Sheer Driving Pleasure’ will also be defined as liberating drivers through automation,” BMW said yesterday in a statement as it celebrated turning 100 years old.

“The company is on the verge of realising automated driving. With it will come a series of technical challenges, but also a major opportunity for revolutionising mobility,” it said.

Vehicles moving autonomously was a question of ‘‘when,’’ not “if,’’ BMW said, adding that it sees people still wanting to take over the wheel at times to experience the thrill of driving.

The look into the future comes as the Munich-based car maker teeters on the edge of losing the top spot in the luxury-car market it has held since 2005.

With sales growth lagging behind No 2 Mercedes-Benz, BMW is under pressure to show it can still innovate.

To that end, the company presented a concept called BMW Vision Next 100, imagining a vehicle that will allow drivers to select when they want control over the wheel and when they want to do something else, with an interactive wind shield that can warn of bicycles, pedestrians or other road obstacles.

“BMW drivers will be able to let their cars do the work – but only when the driver wants,” the company said.