MUNICH (dpa-AFX) - After Mercedes-Benz, BMW now also wants to sell self-driving luxury cars in Germany. "We have approval from the Federal Motor Transport Authority to offer Level 3 automated driving in Germany," BMW division head Nicolai Martin told the German newspaper Handelsblatt (Tuesday). "The system will be introduced in the seven-series later this year."

With Level 3 highly automated driving, the driver can temporarily leave the driving to the computer and no longer has to look at the road - he "may watch videos or answer e-mails," Martin explained. However, he must take the wheel again within a few seconds at any time when the computer prompts him to do so. In Germany, the Mercedes-Benz and BMW driving computers are allowed to drive fully autonomously on highways in traffic jams or heavy traffic up to 60 mph, without the driver having to look at the road.

BMW is not yet disclosing the price of the system. BMW CEO Oliver Zipse had still expressed skepticism about the market prospects in Las Vegas in January: a Level 3 system that constantly shuts down in rain, fog, in tunnels and in the dark "won't be bought by any customer," he said. Meanwhile, the BMW 5 Series has become the first car to receive approval for partially automated driving up to 130 km/h on highways in Germany: The driver can take his hands off the wheel, but must keep a close eye on traffic and be able to take over again immediately at any time. In August, the Ford Mustang Mach-E also received approval for partially automated driving at speeds of up to 130 km/h on highways in Germany./rol/DP/nas