BMW iX3 gets hands-off Motorway Assistant certified in Europe for highway speeds

BMW has just received international approval for its driver assistance systems. The company's first model to incorporate the newly approved Motorway Assistant will be the iX3, which will come with the feature in Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

The Motorway Assistant lets you take your hands off the wheel "for longer periods" at speeds of up to 81 mph. That said, you still have to "remain alert and ready to intervene at any time", BMW says.

This feature is enabled by redundant lane-keeping sensors and "in-system plausibility checks". If you use BMW Maps for navigation paired with the Motorway Assistant, you'll get "timely suggestions for lane changes at motorway interchanges and exits". All you need to do is confirm the suggested maneuver, "by glancing in the wing mirror". The system will remain active across interchanges and to the ends of exit slip roads.

There's also the City Assistant, which for now is only authorized in Germany. This will support stopping at red lights and automatic pulling away on green. Further functions will be rolled out at a later date.