BMW has confirmed that one of its test car models was involved in a fatal crash on a German highway. However, the company has refuted the claim that it was a self-driving vehicle.
Initial police reports raised questions regarding whether the driver of the fully electric BMW iX car had been actively steering the vehicle at the time of the accident. The car in question had veered onto the opposite lane of the B28 federal road near the south-western town of Roemerstein on Monday 15 August, crashing into two other vehicles and indirectly causing another collision.
Traffic police have launched an investigation into the accident, which resulted in the death of a 33-year-old woman and severely injured nine other people, including the 43-year-old driver of the BMW and his 18-month-old passenger.
“The vehicle has a level two driving assistance system that is already incorporated in production vehicles today and which can support the driver on demand,” the company...