The announcement of BMW‘s 2024 5 Series draws some reactions from the side.
The eighth generation of the BMW 5 Series offers an innovative new feature that lets drivers switch lanes simply by looking through the side-view mirrors.
By using Active Lane Change Assistance, an additional component of Highway Assistant’s Level 2 Driver Assistance suite, the vehicle will automatically change lanes for you. This is how it operates:
- The system initially informs you to change lanes if it is recommended. It could be due to nearing a slower vehicle, or the road you’re on is closing, and you must merge.
- In Active Lane Change Assistance, the driver only glances at the side view mirror, and the car then changes lanes, so long as it’s safe.
Other cars, for instance, GM‘s SuperCruise technology, have an automated alternative for changing lanes. However, users need to accept the signal with the stalk of the turn signals in person. BMW removes that step of the equation and lets your eyes control the steering.
A few concerns
Some are not a lover of this latest feature. MotorTrend, for instance, was skeptical about the safety of using eyes for steering.
“We’d be lying if we weren’t slightly concerned,” the auto magazine stated. “The reality is that it’s not an arduous process to move your hand a few inches and touch the stalk, and there’s a lot less potential for the car to misinterpret the action. We’ll have to try this system out once the car is available for review to see for ourselves.”
First 5-Series electric
The eye-controlled lane change feature was only one of the major announcements from BMW during the week. BMW also announced the launch of two new models. The German automaker also revealed the launch of two electric Five Series models.
The i5 eDrive40, with 335 horsepower, comes with a monthly EPA range of 300 miles. The price for the sticker is $67,795.
The most expensive model comes the M60 xDrive Two-motor 590-horsepower beast. You’ll need to pay at least $85,095 to purchase this one.
Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc could cut thousands of jobs as the company enlisted consultants led by McKinsey & Co. to help streamline its operations, as per The Times report, adding that the carmaker with the most luxurious cars has hired consultants headed by McKinsey & Co. to provide advice regarding the exact.
The report also said the company considered removing 3,000 non-manufacturing employees from its worldwide workforce. In the meantime, Rolls-Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilgic has started a change program within the company, including several critical changes to management. The plan will combine the non-manufacturing divisions within each of the Rolls’ civil power, defense, and aerospace systems divisions.
“We are working at pace on our transformation across a number of work streams and only one part of one of those work streams is about realizing organizational efficiencies. We have made no decisions whatsoever on any potential impact on employees and any suggestion otherwise is pure speculation,” Bloomberg stated, concerning a Rolls-Royce spokesperson.
