Mercedes-Benz and BMW end autonomous driving partnership

Rival German car makers Mercedes-Benz and BMW have paused their partnership to jointly-develop autonomous driving technology. The alliance – announced in 2019 – plotted to develop ‘next-generation’ autonomous driving (up to 'fully-autonomous' Level 4), with the first cars fitted with the technology slated for launch in 2024. However, citing exceeding costs and adverse economic conditions, the brands announced they would pause their partnership indefinitely.