For years, car manufacturers have been selling us the dream of a car that drives itself while we sip espresso and check our portfolios. But as 2027 approaches, the Bavarian “prophets” at BMW have suddenly decided to wake up and smell the burnt rubber of reality. The upcoming BMW 7 Series will not feature Level 3 autonomous driving. Instead, Munich is serving up a “refined” Level 2 system. It smells less like a technological choice and more like a tactical retreat.
The math behind this U-turn? A staggering $6,000 price gap between a system that actually works and one that satisfies the endless, soul-crushing bureaucratic nightmares of international regulators. BMW has opted for a Level 2 Plus evolution derived from the Neue Klasse platform. The same tech already seen on the second-generation iX3. For a modest $1,450 extra, you get hands-free highway cruising, automated urban navigation, and lane changes.
BMW isn’t alone in this “great retreat”. Even Mercedes, after shouting from the rooftops about their 2021 Level 3 approval, is quietly pivoting toward a “Level 2 Plus” for the new CLA. Meanwhile, Stellantis has essentially thrown in the towel, spooked by the cocktail of astronomical LiDAR costs and a market demand that is currently somewhere near zero. The industry has finally realized that while Level 3 is technically possible, it is economically suicidal and a bureaucratic labyrinth.
For the 2027 7 Series customer, the “advantage” is a double-edged sword. You get a “premium” car at a slightly more accessible price point, but you’re still the one legally responsible when the software gets confused by a stray plastic bag. You’re driving less, but paying your insurance premium exactly as before.
Whether the BMW 7 Series faithful will see this as a stroke of genius or a embarrassing step backward remains to be seen. Selling a downgrade as “common sense” requires a level of corporate audacity that only the Germans have truly mastered.
