BMW producing several models sans touchscreens, blame it on semiconductor crisis

The microchip crisis is hurting the auto industry around the world. Several carmakers across the world have been forced to shut down their plants for a temporary period. Some automakers are manufacturing vehicles without some key parts or features. Such one is the German luxury car marque BMW.

The automaker is reportedly producing select models without touchscreens owing to the chip shortage. The affected cars include 3-Series, 4-Series Coupe and Convertible, 4-Series Gran Coupe, all versions of X5, X6 and X7 and Z4.

These cars without any touchscreen will come with an option code of 6UY for the 'Deletion of Touchscreen' in the window sticker. The owners of these impacted vehicles will be given a $500 credit by the automaker, reports the Bimmerfest forum.

Removal of the touchscreen means the infotainment system can only be done through the Drive Controller and via voice control. The other systems impacted by the issue include the loss of a Backup Assistant for the Parking Assistant package. However, all other functions of the infotainment system will be there including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The step from the luxury carmaker comes as a result of the industry-wide sup-ply chain crisis that is affecting the automotive manufacturers around the world. BMW has reportedly said that the supply chain crisis is causing limitations on the availability of some features or options in its cars.

Not having the features in the affected BMW models can impact the new vehicle sales and resale value of these models as well. As the report further claims, the impacted consumers will have to sign a form confirming the acknowledgement of the change during the purchase of the vehicle. These vehicles without a touchscreen will require a software update before they are delivered to the consumers, claimed the report.