BMW cars globally may come minus Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Here's why
- BMW has reportedly chosen to avoid a delay in delivery of certain units meant for markets such as the US, UK, Italy, Spain and France.
At a time when in-car features are a major factor influencing buying decisions, the chip shortage has come as a massive blow to automotive manufacturers across the world. While some manufacturers have been compelled to slow production which has led to longer waiting times for newer cars, BMW is learnt to have opted to ship out units without certain key feature highlights like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. According to a report, BMW is looking to add these software-based features at a later date post shipment through Over the Air (OTA) updates.
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The Automotive News Europe report states that BMW has chosen to avoid having a situation where new units are parked at its facilities with nowhere to go because certain features are missing. The chip shortage has resulted in different ways of dealing with an unprecedented problem and the German brand believes that some of these tech highlights can be dispatched later, possibly end of June. The affected vehicles were said to have been manufactured in the first four months of 2022 and are meant for markets in the US, France, Spain, Italy and the UK.
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Such is the complex nature of the problem that various OEMs have had to come out with various ways to ensure that delivery timelines aren't affected too severly. Tesla, for instance, has shipped some units sans USB ports. Ford skipped rear climate control in its Explorer SUV. BMW too previously shipped some units without touchscreens.
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While some of these can be fixed through OTA updates, especially if these are software based, in other cases, customers are required to drive in their vehicle to an authorized dealership or workshop and have the missing components equipped. This is of course when these are available.
Delivery timelines continue to be in a haphazard state in most major automotive markets. In India, for instance, some popular car models have a waiting period stretching up to as long as two years. And with no respite in sight, the situation could only worsen in the times to