Representatives from Daimler AG and BMW Group signed an agreement Thursday, July 4 for a long-term strategic cooperation focused on the joint development of next generation automated technologies.

In addition, the companies plan to extend the cooperation to higher levels of automation in urban areas and city centers. This underscores the long-term and lasting nature of the undertaking, which will extend to encompass a scalable platform for automated driving, the companies said.

The two companies’ key aim of the cooperation is to launch autonomous passenger car systems for private customers by 2024. They will work towards implementing the technologies in their respective products independently, according to a press announcement.

The cooperation will see more than 1,200 specialists working together, often in mixed teams. Efforts will focus on developing a scalable architecture for driver assistance systems, including sensors, as well as a joint data center for data storage, administration and processing, and the development of functions and software.

This announcement comes in the wake of a recent white paper that has been developed to ensure the safety and integrity in the development of autonomous technology. Daimler and BMW Group both partnered with 9 other industry leaders to publish “Safety First for Automated Driving” on July 2.