Car makers are sharply divided over whether to offer level-three (L3) autonomy as they weigh up the cost versus reward of allowing their cars to take control from the driver for limited periods amid a wider technology race.

Right now, only BMW and Mercedes offer level-three hands-off, eyes-off autonomy in their flagship limos, and then only in Germany and select states in the US at traffic jam speeds.

More, however, are scheduled to join their ranks, with a total of 25,000 global sales of level-three-enabled vehicles in 2024 rising to more than one million in 2026, according to the latest global level-three autonomous vehicle forecast by Counterpoint Research.

Who will join the two German brands remains to be seen.