BMW says we shouldn’t expect self-driving cars to properly hit the road this decade, though the Germany company sees autonomous vehicles as the natural next major step for the motoring industry.

Klaus Froehlich, responsible for development at BMW, said: "We believe that, at the moment, the technical and social challenges involved are still too great.

"In addition, adjustments must be made to the legal implications for customers and manufacturers".

He was speaking at the company’s annual accounts press conference in Munich. 

BMW also outlined their future strategies at the Wednesday conference, as they aim to push digital connectivity and develop hi-def digital maps, cloud technology, sensor technology, AI and autonomous driving.

Cheif Executive Harald Krueger said:

"We will lead the BMW Group into a new era, one in which we will transform and shape both individual mobility and the entire sector in a permanent way".

The company has been developing autonomous technology for the past decade, with one of its test vehicles making a driverless trip from Munich to Nuremberg in 2011.

BMW will face competition in the field not only from orthodox motor industry rivals such as Audi and Volkswagen, but also from the likes of Delphi, Lyft and Google.

Those three companies called for uniform national rules on autonomous vehicles at a US Congress hearing on Tuesday.

Chris Urmson, Google’s director of self-driving cars, said: "The leadership of the federal government is critically important given the growing patchwork of state laws and regulations on self-driving cars".

Google has argued that forcing companies to retain steering wheels and manual controls in their vehicles could prove counter-productive in terms of health and safety, with hazards being created when humans suddenly retake control of cars.