BMW just embarked on the ambitious goal of making the world’s fastest racing drones, inking a development deal with the Drone Racing League. According to the league’s CEO, the partnership will boost the German automaker’s reach among millennials. “We’re attracting a young, excited audience that’s interested in things like technology, video games, drones,” Nicholas Horbaczewski told Cheddar. “So [for brands like BMW] it’s a way to reach those consumers. In the past two years we’ve had over 55 million TV viewers.” And the DRL is not just about the excitement of the sport, it’s also about the technology. Last year members hand-built a drone with a speed of 162 miles per hour, a record it hopes to break with the help of BMW. “All the technology that’s used in the league is developed by DRL,” Horbaczewski said. “We design the drones in-house, we design the radio communication equipment in-house … It’s truly a technology innovation company.” The BMW deal wouldn’t be DRL’s first, though. The league has also partnered with companies such as Swatch, Cox Communications, and insurance firm Allianz. For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-drone-racing-league-teams-up-with-bmw).

Share:
More In Business
Tech leader who navigated the internet’s 90s crash weighs in on AI
Former Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers learned all about technology’s volatile highs and lows as a veteran of the internet’s early boom days during the late 1990s and the ensuing meltdown that followed the mania. And now he is seeing potential signs of the cycle repeating with another transformative technology in artificial intelligence. Chambers is trying take some of the lessons he learned while riding a wave that turned Cisco into the world's most valuable company in 2000 before a crash hammered its stock price and apply them as an investor in AI startups. He recently discussed AI's promise and perils during an interview with The Associated Press.
Tesla sales jump after months of boycotts
Tesla reported a surprise increase in sales in the third quarter as the electric car maker likely benefited from a rush by consumers to take advantage of a $7,500 credit before it expired on Sept. 30. The company reported Thursday that sales in the three months through September rose 7% compared to the same period a year ago. The gain follows two quarters of steep declines as people turned off by CEO Elon Musk’s foray into right-wing politics avoided buying his company’s cars and even protested at some dealerships. Sales rose to 497,099 vehicles, compared with 462,890 in the same period last year.
Load More