A police spokesman in the southwestern city of Reutlingen said the electric BMW iX carrying five people, including a toddler, veered off its lane at a bend in the road, causing a series of collisions with four vehicles on Monday afternoon. After brushing an oncoming Citroen, the BMW hit a Mercedes-Benz van head-on, killing a 33-year-old passenger in the vehicle. The 70-year-old driver of the Citroen lost control of her car and crashed into another vehicle carrying two people, pushing it off the road and causing it to burst into flames. Reutlingen police spokesman Michael Schaal said four rescue helicopters and dozens of firefighters responded to the incident and the injured were taken to several area hospitals. They included the 43-year-old driver of the BMW, three adults aged 31, 42 and 47 and an 18-month-old child who were all in the test vehicle. Schaal said police have not yet had a chance to interview those involved in the crash. “The collision vehicle was an autonomous electric test car,” police said in a statement. “Whether the 43-year-old (driver) is driving it or not is under investigation.” BMW confirmed that one of its test vehicles was involved in a collision near Reutlingen, but denied that the vehicle was fully autonomous. “The vehicle features a Level 2 driver assistance system that is already built into production vehicles today and can support the driver on demand,” the company said. “With Level 2 vehicles, the driver always retains responsibility.” BMW added that the vehicle had to be marked as a test car for data protection purposes because it was recording video. “We are in the process of investigating the exact circumstances (of the crash),” BMW said. “Of course we are in close contact with the authorities.”
