German premium carmaker BMW has stepped up its development of advanced driver assistance systems and launched the localization of the software in China in response to the increasingly fierce competition in the field.

BMW is accelerating the development of its L3 autonomous driving feature, with a global launch planned for late 2023 or early 2024.

BMW's China R&D team has initiated the localized development of L3 autonomous driving, and will be fully prepared for the future adaptation and application of the L3 autonomous driving function in China in accordance with local regulatory requirements, it said.

With the help of the L3 autonomous driving function, drivers can enjoy in-car audio-visual entertainment such as games and streaming videos, BMW said.

The L3 autonomous driving technology suite is able to integrate more high-performance sensors, such as the new LiDAR system, and interlink all sensor information with long-range radar and front-facing camera data to create a complete environment model, it said.

The company's Future Mobility Development Center in the Czech Republic, which officially opened this summer, focuses on the development and testing of driver assistance systems and autonomous driving technologies.