Qwen meets Neue Klasse

BMW and Alibaba Deepen Strategic Partnership in China

Benjamin Müller

4 April 2025 - 15:27

1 min

Representatives of BMW and Alibaba at the joint group photo on the occasion of the signing ceremony.

BMW and Alibaba announced an expanded partnership in China, accelerating the integration of Alibaba’s Qwen large language model into BMW’s Neue Klasse models. This collaboration is part of BMW’s strategy of increasing cooperation with Chinese tech companies.

Under the partnership, the new BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant (IPA) will integrate a bespoke AI engine co-developed by BMW and Alibaba. The AI engine will be based on the Yan AI, a Qwen-empowered smart cockpit AI solution developed by Banma, Alibaba’s intelligent cockpit solution provider. The AI-enhanced IPA will debut in BMW Neue Klasse models produced in China starting from 2026.

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The partnership underscores BMW’s commitment to embedding AI across its R&D and product development, following its recent comprehensive AI strategy launch in China. “BMW will work closer with Chinese tech partners on electric mobility and intelligent technologies,” said Sean Green, President and CEO of BMW Group Region China.

“AI is a driving force to advance productivity across industries. We look forward to working closely with BMW to pioneer AI applications in the mobility sector,” said Eddie Wu, CEO of Alibaba Group.

10 Years of Collaboration

Since 2015, BMW and Alibaba have collaborated across cloud computing, smart manufacturing, intelligent networking, intelligent logistics and voice interaction. Leveraging Qwen’s AI capability, BMW and Alibaba Group will for the first time embed AI LLM into BMW’s IPA system and integrate AI agents to the cabin.

This means the Neue Klasse models will come with an AI companion with three core capabilities: human-like interaction, multi-agent coordination, and digital ecosystem integration to enhance both travel and in-car infotainment experience. According to Alibaba, these capabilities lead to more accurate intent recognition, complex command processing, nuanced semantic understanding, and enhanced logical reasoning.

The Neue Klasse models will initially introduce two new AI Agents for Chinese car users– the Car Genius, an onboard expert for vehicle functions and real-time assistance, and the Travel Companion, a personalized guide for navigation, entertainment, and lifestyle services. With capabilities of intelligent interaction, the two agents can facilitate users requests on mobility functions, in-car experience and digital services.