BMW is one of the best-known German automotive groups in the world. Even today this brand enjoys an excellent reputation, producing cars able to show great power and reliability. On the Asian soil, then, the brand is particularly appreciated, given that currently the China represents BMW's first world market. Over the years, the German giant has entered into partnerships with local companies, not least the one stipulated with Baidu. Recently, however, BMW wanted to give a further push to autonomous driving, signing a collaboration contract with Tencent, well-known manufacturer of software and in continuous expansion in the field of cloud computing.
Tencent makes all the basic technology available to BMW
It is not the first time BMW relies on a Chinese brand to try to enter this market. On the other hand, this seems to be the only way to be able to expand one's borders, since in China foreign entities cannot control state data. Many European and American companies use partnerships with local companies for the management of resources and for the control of their own companies producing various products. If these agreements were not present, in fact, no kind of deal would be possible with China.
BMW aims to develop autonomous driving on Asian land, entering into an important agreement with Tencent. This technology giant is known for the creation of WeChat but manages various other sectors within the scope of its activities. It seems that at this moment, in fact, it is making a data processing and archiving platform available to BMW. Everything would obviously be aimed at the development of autonomous driving in China, where among other things the German company has already collected some information. In fact, in recent years it has brought an application competing with Google Maps to Chinese soil, Here, which has traced all the city streets of the country, also collaborating with the Chinese navigation service Navinfo.
BMW has also entered into agreements with Baidu in the past
In the 2014 BMW has made an important agreement with Baidu, well-known supplier of search engines in the country, also interested in other technologies, including autonomous driving. This partnership was strengthened, then, last October. The German automaker has decided to join, in fact, to the autonomous driving platform of Baidu Apollo. According to Baidu President Zhang Yaqin, the agreement was supposed to accelerate the development of autonomous driving technologies, in line with the Chinese market.
In light of this situation, the agreement between BMW and Tencent was born with another intent. These should, in fact, study the entire project related to autonomous driving on a practical level. It would therefore not just be a question of bureaucratic issues. It must then be considered that Baidu and Tencent they are not direct competitors in this sector, although both are affected. It is not uncommon, however, for alleged competitors to enter into agreements with the same partner in China.
Pending further implications, we invite you to comment below expressing your thoughts on the matter. What do you think of autonomous driving? Do you think it can really represent the future?
Do not miss any news, offer or review published on our site! Follow us on social networks to stay up-to-date in real time thanks to:
Offers Channel , News Channel, Telegram Group, Facebook page, Youtube channel and Forum.
