To help drivers orient themselves in complex traffic situations and understand assisted and semi-automated features more easily, the BMW Group announced it will introduce BMW Maps with Driver Assistance in vehicles equipped with the BMW Operating System X.

Developed using navigation data from partner Mapbox, the new technology suite combines route guidance, vehicle surroundings, and ADAS (advanced driver assistance system) information into a single 3D view on a central dashboard display. This provides drivers with visibility into navigation steps and how the vehicle perceives its surroundings, as well as ADAS functions supporting various driving tasks.

“An important step toward highly automated driving is the intelligent interaction between navigation and driver assistance,” said Stephan Durach, Senior Vice President of Digital Services, Infotainment, and Connected Company at the BMW Group. “BMW Maps with Driver Assistance shows drivers how route guidance, environmental perception, and assistance functions work together. This provides better orientation when driver assistance is active—developed by the BMW Group in collaboration with Mapbox.”

The display shows the vehicle’s location precisely within its lane and at the correct road level, which helps with navigation on highways, at intersections, and in city traffic. It also makes assisted and semi-automated driving easier to understand in the context of any given driving situation.

The new display from BMW is visually similar to Tesla’s system, which has been available for several years. In a YouTube video, BMW provided a closer look at how the integrated display makes driver assistance more intuitive and easier to understand.

“We’re thrilled to partner with the BMW Group to be the first to bring this next-generation navigation experience to market,” said Peter Sirota, CEO of Mapbox. “Drivers can see exactly which lane they need to be in and everything happening around the vehicle. All of this is brought together in a seamless view—making every trip easier so drivers can enjoy the ride and never miss a turn again.”

BMW said this integration is particularly relevant when ADAS systems support driving over long distances or in complex traffic situations.

For example, the Highway Assistant 2 system enables hands-free driving on highways at speeds of up to 80 mph (130 km/h). The technology controls both longitudinal and lateral movement and supports automated lane changes after the driver confirms with a glance. With active route guidance via BMW Maps, the system provides support on the highway from on-ramp to exit.

For city driving, the automaker also plans to roll out navigation-guided, semi-automated driving in urban areas, initially in Germany in 2027. However, the Bavarian automaker noted that the BMW Maps feature with driver assistance is available only in combination with Highway Assistant or Highway and City Assistant in select countries, cities, and on select roads. The rollout of this technology is occurring in phases.

(Earlier this year, BMW announced it would discontinue development of Personal Pilot L3, a Level 3 autonomous driving system that was expected to be included in a refresh of its 7 Series vehicles.)

Other automakers are pursuing similar upgrades to their navigation and ADAS display systems. Mercedes-Benz offers an augmented reality-based navigation system resembling the environment of a video game. Earlier this year, Ford announced plans to add eyes-off self-driving capability to its Universal EV platform, which includes an electric pickup priced in the $30,000 range.