BMW to Collect Driving Data to Enhance Semi-Autonomous System

Jakarta (ANTARA) - BMW is reportedly set to start collecting image, video, and sensor data from customer vehicles in Germany to help its semi-autonomous vehicle systems learn how users drive.

According to a Carscoops report on Wednesday, data collection will commence on 1 April 2026 from the new BMW iX3 and i3 models.

Supported by technology, the BMW iX3 and i3 will record driving activities and send the data to the company with the vehicle user’s consent.

BMW states that data collection will only occur with customer consent. The company also states it will comply with applicable data protection regulations.

Thus, BMW vehicles will only record events inside and around the car in specific incidents if the user agrees.

The company states that this feature is designed to improve systems such as automatic emergency braking, lane change assistance, cross-traffic alerts, as well as driving assistance features on motorways and urban roads.

The system is also intended to protect vehicle occupants as well as other road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.

In such situations, the vehicle can record images from external cameras as well as data such as speed, steering angle, direction of travel, and other sensor readings.

BMW states that data from real events is far more useful than data from simulations or tests, as it reflects actual driving behaviour.

The company emphasises that its data collection system is optional and only stores video from specific road events.

Additionally, vehicle users’ faces and vehicle licence plates will be blurred before the data is sent out from the vehicle system to protect user privacy.