2024 – All about car

Daimler AG und BMW Group starten langfristige Entwicklungskooperation für automatisiertes Fahren. Daimler AG and BMW Group start long-term cooperation for automated driving.BMW BMW and Daimler announced early July theyre teaming up to bring their joint self-driving technology efforts to dealerships in less than five years.In February, the long-time rivals in the sports sedan market partnered up to develop autonomous vehicle technology that both companies would implement into their own vehicles.Now, the two automotive giants have said their plan is to have Level 4 self-driving cars ready to sell for 2024.Level 4 systems can operate without a driver in some conditions and safely stop the car in the event that the driver is unable to take control. Level 5 autonomous driving is the real goal; its at that point vehicles are able to behave and react like humans, but that level isnt expected to materialize until the end of the next decade at the earliest.For now, the vehicles will be expected to be able to handle highway driving, as well as parking. Urban areas and city centres are also in the works. As for actual vehicle implementation, the two brands are planning on making the technology scalable, which means that multiple vehicles will be able to use the same system. The sensors, computers, cloud data storage and software that controls it will be licensed out to other firms once its completed.The timeline seems to be moving along rapidly, but the brands havent forgotten about the most important thing when it comes to self-driving cars: safety. BMW and Daimler, as well as other companies, recently published a paper entitled Safety First for Automated Driving, which lays out the guidelines for safety methods and development for Level 3 and 4
Origin: BMW and Daimler will sell self-driving cars by 2024

Ford’s rollout of its redesigned European business plan will result in a radical overhaul of its large car range, as the maker confirms three new model nameplates for the region in the next five years. The firm has stated in a release that it is “freshening and expanding its vehicle-line-up in Europe”, with the three new nameplates coming “as it continues to grow its utility vehicle portfolio,” The new models, which are in addition to the new Kuga family SUV, Puma small crossover and not-for-UK Explorer, also include the “Mustang-inspired fully electric performance utility” model, as Ford dubs it. Stuart Rowley, Ford of Europe president, told Autocar that the European focus is on an expansion of its “family utility lineup”, but wouldn’t confirm specific names or models that will be replaced. “We are very focused in orienting our portfolio with where consumers are going. Many buyers are moving into the utility space, but for us the key question is where buyers are going next”. When asked if these new cars would indirectly replace slow-selling D-segment models such as the Mondeo, Galaxy and S-Max, Rowley said the three models “remain part of our product portfolio for now. However, we need to adapt to the changing market”. Alongside this announcement, Ford has released a status report of its European business strategy changes, which will see three new ‘business groups’ – Commercial Vehicles, Passenger vehicles and Imports – established. The organisational changes to implement this will come into force on July 1st. The restructure will means a substantial number of job losses, from a factory worker level up to a managerial rethink. Ford employs around 53,000 people across its European operation, so the cuts represent a total of 22% of its workforce. Including Russia, around 12,000 jobs will be “impacted”, including 2000 salaried positions set to be axed. Around 3,000 jobs will be “affected” in the UK from now until the end of 2020, including 1700 jobs at Bridgend. This is made up of “agency employees, salary employees and management” Rowley stated. By the end of 2020, Ford will have 18 manufacturing facilities in Europe, as opposed to 24 at the start of this year. The leaner structure and strategy rethink mean Rowley expects profitabiity for the second half of this year to “significantly improve” over the £315m loss posted in Europe last year. The long-term goal is to achieve a margin of 6% on earnings before taxes and interest. Rowley also claimed Ford is “on track to meet its obligations” with European Union emissions targets, which will see carmakers face huge fines if they can’t lower their fleet CO2 average by 25% before the end of 2020. It will achieve this by launching 16 electrified models, including eight due to be launched by the end of this
Origin: Ford to launch three new model names by 2024 in Europe