BMW has confirmed that it plans to release a Level 3 autonomous driving system as a paid option for all 7-Series sedans next year. Called the BMW Personal Pilot L3, it will be available to pre-order for $6,000 in Germany from December, but the first shipments will not be made until March 2024.
All 7-Series vehicles except the all-electric i7 eDrive50 and i7 M70 xDrive will be supported. Drivers will be able to take their hands off the steering wheel and their eyes off the road in a strictly limited range of scenarios – for instance, in traffic jams and on highways as long as moving under 60 km/h (37 mph). According to BMW, you will be able to make a phone call while the Personal Pilot is active, check your messages or even watch some videos on the infotainment display.
The feature will be activated from a dedicated button on the steering wheel. Once on, a corresponding notification will come up on the dashboard. Whenever the system decides that human intervention is necessary, it will play a warning sound and turn on lights to get the driver’s attention. If there is no reaction, the car will emergency park.