"high-level intelligent driving 'competition among heroes': Why Is BMW Joining the 'Magic Door Tower'?"

Nowadays, the high-level intelligent driving field in China has established a "triple division" landscape (self-research by car companies, Huawei model, Momenta solution). Choosing to "partner" with Momenta signifies that the intelligent driving assistance solution applied in BMW's new generation products will join the first tier of intelligent driving experience in China. Thus, the partnerships of the three major German car manufacturers (BBA) in the high-level intelligent driving field in the Chinese market have been finalized.

On July 15, BMW officially announced its collaboration with Chinese tech company Momenta to jointly develop a new generation of intelligent driving assistance solutions for the Chinese market.

Specifically, BMW and Momenta will focus on the cutting-edge field of intelligent driving assistance based on the intelligent architecture and hardware platform of the new generation of domestically produced BMW models. They will develop driving assistance software based on AI large models and continuously optimize and test it. The collaboration will focus on Chinese travel scenarios and user needs, creating a "homegrown" intelligent driving assistance solution exclusive to China.

This local driving assistance system will provide all-scenario, point-to-point navigation driving assistance functions, covering both highways and urban roads. In the future, BMW owners will be able to achieve seamless travel from parking out, through urban areas, highways, and back to parking in at the destination, all in one go. This solution will be applied to multiple models, including the domestically produced new generation, covering various market segments.

Why did BMW also choose to "join forces" with Momenta?

In fact, before BMW's official announcement, during this year's Shanghai Auto Show, multinational car companies such as Volkswagen, General Motors, Honda, and Toyota also announced their strategic cooperation with Momenta one after another. According to incomplete statistics, Momenta provides intelligent driving-related technologies and solutions for domestic and foreign car manufacturers, and the number of models set to be mass-produced in cooperation will exceed 130.

Multinational car companies favor Momenta for several reasons. On one hand, Momenta has a leading market share in the Chinese market, allowing it to accumulate vast amounts of local data and gain finer insights into user needs across various local scenarios. Because its algorithms are derived from real data on Chinese urban roads, the systems trained can better handle unique traffic conditions such as "crossing the street in a Chinese way" and "mixed traffic of vehicles and pedestrians."

On the other hand, Momenta has a clear technical advantage. It has launched the industry's first fully data-driven flywheel and the first mass-produced planning and decision-making capability based on deep learning. The upcoming Momenta R6 flywheel large model is based on reinforcement learning, allowing it to grow self-sufficiently in a simulated environment, which gives it the opportunity to greatly exceed human capabilities in driving safety and other areas.

For BMW, the technical core of the new generation solution lies in the AI large model-driven "perception - planning - control" integrated architecture. Leveraging advanced AI algorithms provided by Momenta, vehicles can understand complex road conditions and make decisions in a manner similar to human drivers, enhancing their adaptability to dynamic environments.

The large model solution can continuously learn and improve from driving data. Through the Over-The-Air (OTA) upgrade feature, the vehicle's software algorithms can iteratively evolve. With this mechanism, BMW's next-generation driving assistance system will have the potential for "self-evolution," becoming smarter and more reliable throughout the entire product lifecycle.

BMW also emphasizes that, unlike other brands, it takes a comprehensive approach to intelligent interaction, control, and driving assistance during the development stage, striving to achieve a perfect balance among intelligent convenience, driving pleasure, and road safety.

BMW China's technology partner "circle of friends" continues to grow.

Currently, the automotive industry is accelerating its transformation towards intelligence, with artificial intelligence becoming a key factor in creating more human-centered, smarter, and safer travel solutions. BMW's strategic measures are particularly focused and precise.

On March 17 this year, BMW and Huawei Terminal announced a deep cooperation to jointly develop an intelligent application ecosystem based on the HarmonyOS.

On March 26, BMW and Alibaba jointly announced the deepening of their strategic cooperation in China to promote the integration of AI large language models into vehicles.

In March of this year, BMW officially announced the launch of its 360-degree AI strategy in China, fully integrating AI technology across various aspects including research and innovation, production and manufacturing, and user experience, aiming to reshape the future mobility blueprint of luxury automobiles.

On April 19, BMW and ByteDance reached a partnership to innovate the application of artificial intelligence in automotive marketing services, aiming to enhance the car purchasing experience for users and improve the operational efficiency of dealers.

On April 27, BMW China announced its integration with DeepSeek, becoming the first luxury car brand to connect with DeepSeek...

From Huawei, Alibaba, and ByteDance to Deepseek and Momenta... BMW's smart transformation is betting on China. Since the beginning of this year, a series of partnership announcements have made it clear that BMW's "technology partners" in China are continuously growing. Collaborations have expanded from digital ecosystems and AI interactions to intelligent driving assistance, achieving a "cross-dimensional" breakthrough from the virtual world to real roads.

As Gao Xiang, President and CEO of BMW Group Greater China, stated, BMW's unique product philosophy and intelligent driving approach are deeply integrated with China's outstanding digital technology, creating a pure intelligent driving experience for Chinese users that embodies BMW DNA and Chinese intelligence. Collaborating with Momenta establishes another model of co-creation and win-win partnership, and this strong alliance will propel BMW's strategy of "In China, for China, innovating at China's speed" into a new chapter.