BMW says it will expand its navigation-guided, partly automated driving to city streets starting in 2027, The Verge reports. It will launch first in Germany, with other countries to follow.

The system can help with turns, lane changes, giving way to other cars and driving through roundabouts, heise reports. It uses the route set in BMW's own maps. As a Level 2 system, it still needs the driver to watch the road and be ready to take over at any moment, The Verge says.

On highways, BMW will let drivers take their hands off the wheel, The Verge reports. On city streets, they will need to keep their hands on it.

BMW says drivers can steer, brake or speed up at any time without switching the system off, heise reports. The company calls this approach "Symbiotic Drive."

The needed cameras and sensors are already built into the iX3, iX4, X5, 3 Series and 7 Series, The Verge reports. BMW can turn the feature on through an over-the-air software update. BMW has not yet announced a price, heise says.

The system is being approved under updated UN rules for driver assist, heise reports. An independent testing service has finished road tests, but official approval is still pending. BMW expects it in early 2027.

Mercedes announced on October 21 that it plans a similar feature from 2027, heise reports. The Verge says BMW is the latest carmaker racing to keep up with Tesla's Full Self-Driving system. Safety researchers are growing worried that drivers rely too much on such systems, The Verge reports.