BMW confirms its first autonomous car release date

PanARMENIAN.Net - Autonomous cars, they're the future, and now we know exactly how close that future is thanks to BMW, Digital Spy said.

Becoming one of the first manufacturers to set a date for its foray into the autonomous car market, the Munich-based company announced that 2021 will serve as its entry point.

The electric, autonomous car will be named the i NEXT.

CEO Harold Krueger said in the company's recent shareholder meeting: "In 2018, we will launch a BMW i8 Roadster. This will be followed in 2021 by the BMW i NEXT, our new innovation driver, with autonomous driving, digital connectivity, intelligent lightweight design, a totally new interior and ultimately bringing the next generation of electro-mobility to the road."

Considering the proposed car is offering a number of high-level features, though, it could be the later end of the 2020s before the technology is realistically affordable to the public. Boo.

If you simply can't wait the meagre five years until BMW's luxury autonomous contraption is scheduled to drop, there are always the Volvo 'Drive Me' cars, which undergo trials in 2017 before an expected commercial release in 2020, Digital Spy said.