The BMW 7 Series will lose its Level 3 conditional autonomous driving when the model is updated next month.
The expensive ‘eyes-off’ driving system is said to be replaced with simpler – and more feature-rich – Level 2 semi-autonomous driving technology when the limousine is updated in April 2026, according to Automotive News Europe.
Nevertheless, Australian buyers will not be affected by this as Australia’s current regulatory framework does not yet allow for such technology on local roads with ‘Personal Pilot Level 3’ being unavailable on the 7 Series.
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The report says BMW cited “limited real-world applicability” and high financial investment as the reason for the decision.
Compared to the Level 2 system – which costs around €1450 (A$2400) per car – the level 3 system is about €6000 ( A$10,000), because of high performance computers, LiDAR sensors, ongoing fleet monitoring, validation and safety certifications.
The BMW’s Level 2 Personal Pilot, like Tesla’ – ‘Full Self-Driving’ system, is likely to offer hands-off driving on freeways as urban address-to-address capability will soon be available.
The Tesla in Australia’s Full Self-Driving is a Level 2+ system, which means you have to look ahead. In contrast, Level 3 technology is designed to let you take your eyes off the road with a device called Level 3.
BMW is the latest automaker to refocus efforts on less-advanced autonomous driving technology.
In addition, both Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis – the parent company of 14 car brands including Alfa Romeo, Jeep and Ram have also left Level 3 system development due to technical challenges, low customer demand and high costs.
Honda also dropped its Traffic Jam Pilot Level 3 technology, which it briefly offered on the Japanese-market Legend.
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