By
Godfrey Benjamin
April 26th, 2024
BMW’s first Neue Klasse vehicle will be rolled out in 2025. The Vision Neue Klasse vehicle has already been revealed to the public at IAA Mobility in Munich. The event started on September 5 and will run until September 10.
German multinational company BMW AG (ETR: BMW) has expanded its deal with Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN). Within their extended partnership, BMW Group will use Amazon Web Services (AWS) to manage data from its autonomous vehicles.
The BMW Group is currently working on its next-generation advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that will integrate new features for its next-generation of vehicles, the “Neue Klasse”, as well as AWS software. According to BMW, the new cloud-based system will leverage BMW’s pre-existing Cloud Data Hub on AWS, and will employ AWS compute, generative artificial intelligence (generative AI), Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, and storage capabilities to foster the delivery of highly automated BMW vehicles.
Dr. Nicolai Martin, senior vice president of Driving Experience at BMW Group, commented:
“This is just the beginning of a new era of highly automated driving, fueled by innovations in technology and engineering. By collaborating with AWS, the BMW Group, along with our partner, Qualcomm Technologies, is building our new automated driving platform on AWS’s scalable, secure, and reliable infrastructure. We’re tapping into AWS’s ability to help empower the next generation of BMW’s automated driving and parking functions.”
Previously, BMW Group used AWS to handle data from its connected cars. Now, the deal will cover data from ADAS which is partly powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Ride Vision platform. AWS will help power this platform based on a common reference architecture, accelerating the development life cycle and broadening it across BMW models.
Wendy Bauer, general manager of Automotive and Manufacturing at AWS, stated:
“Implementing these systems on the BMW Group’s international scale requires an approach that can process and analyze vast amounts of data, as well as learn and innovate, so automakers can develop safer and more reliable automated and ADAS systems. Working with AWS and Qualcomm Technologies, the BMW Group has the tools required to help make its vision of providing safe, premium quality, high performance, and highly automated driving functions to its customers a reality.”
BMW’s first Neue Klasse vehicle will be rolled out in 2025. The first two vehicles will be a compact sedan and a compact crossover, or simply electric versions of the 3 Series and the X3, BMW’s best-selling car and SUV, respectively. The new line of electric vehicles will include BMW’s sixth generation of battery cells. According to BMW Group, the battery will improve both the charging speed and range of the Neue Klasse platform by up to 30%. As a result, the overall vehicle efficiency is expected to increase by up to 25%.
The Vision Neue Klasse vehicle has already been revealed to the public at IAA Mobility in Munich. The event started on September 5 and will run until September 10.