Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
BMW deleted a social media post early Wednesday that had fueled speculation about its potential interest in Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. The now-deleted post was a response to a video shared on X by the account ΛI DRIVR, which showcased Tesla’s latest FSD version autonomously performing a multi-point turn on a narrow street.
In the video’s comments, a user tagged Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, asking, “Check this out […] isn’t that impressive?” BMW replied, “Very impressive.”
Tesla shareholders and enthusiasts questioned whether BMW might be considering licensing Tesla’s technology. In April, Elon Musk said that Tesla was “in talks with one major automaker about licensing Full Self-Driving,” and noted there was “a good chance” the deal would be finalized before the year end.
Separately, BMW announced in June that it had become the first automaker to receive approval for a system combining Level 2 driver assistance (BMW Highway Assistant) and Level 3 automation (BMW Personal Pilot L3) in a single vehicle. The BMW 7 Series was highlighted for its ability to perform hands-free lane changes and initiate lane changes by detecting the driver’s glance at the exterior mirror.
Tesla’s Vice President of AI Software, Ashok Elluswamy, stated in October that the FSD team is “aiming to get to feature complete for unsupervised FSD with the v13 series.”
According to Tesla, the v13 update brings 36 Hz full-resolution AI4 video inputs, native AI4 inputs with redesigned neural network architectures, and a threefold increase in model size and context length. The update also includes enhanced predictions for collision avoidance, adherence to traffic controls, and navigation.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
