It is often said that the future success of BMW mainly depends on the progress in sustainable technologies such as electrical drive lines and hydrogen fuel cells. However, the Bavarian car manufacturer also makes consistent investments in software, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and connectivity. This is because the entry barriers for electric vehicles are lower compared to combustion engine vehicles, which makes OEMs more difficult to differentiate hardware alone.
In fact, a McKinsey study showed that 59 percent of the luxury car buyers in China – the largest market of BMW – are ready to change brands for superior connectivity functions. In an S&P survey, an S&P survey showed that over 85 percent of the drivers desired touchscreens with almost 35 percent even column-to-pillar displays (similar to that in the EQs can be seen in the EQs 56-inch hyperscreen ”).
In recent years, BMW has been changed as a main example with the latest Idrive (IDRIVE X). It has a 17.9-inch middle screen, a panoramic view system for column and a 3D head-up display (HUD). In addition, the iDrive controller was removed, and the majority of the functions are operated on touch, voice or haptic control. In particular, the demo of the new system suggests that BMW may finally have a digital ecosystem that is comparable to Tesla.
Touch screens: more dangerous than drunken driving?
So far there is also a disadvantage to take into account: screen-high interiors represent considerable distraction and security risks. A typical example: A test of the Swedish automatic magazine VI bilägars showed that fundamental tasks such as changing radio stations and adapting the climate control in a Volvo V70 from 2005 with physical controls required less time than touching screens In the Tesla model 3, the BMW IX and the Volkswagen -Id.3.
Similarly, an IAM Roadsmart study showed that the use of touchscreens with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto slowed down the reaction times of the drivers more than alcohol or cannabis. In order to be precise, while drunken travel time reduced the response time by 12 percent and marijuana by 21 percent, CarPlay/Android automatically impaired over 50 percent. Even voice commands by these systems led to a reaction time reduction of over 30 percent.
Apart from that, a large part is that the software interfaces of most car manufacturers and UI/UX are complex and unintuited. This applies in particular to German car manufacturers such as BMW and VW Group, which initially slowly recognized the importance of software-defined vehicles. Remember that BMW has managed a mediocre order in tenth place in the Ward’s 2023 SDV study, in which Tesla, Rivian, Nio and lucens the list of lists.
Of course, Germany does not have the same width of IT skills as America, China or even India, which means that BMW is facing various systemic problems that are open outside of its control. Nevertheless, the Bavarian OEM has to find a way to control these obstacles.
It’s all about security
At the end of the day, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports astonishing deaths of 1.19 million street accidents every year and costs countries three percent of its gross domestic product (GDP). Driving out is not the only cause of accidents, but it remains a leading factor in addition to topics such as uncertain vehicles, poor street infrastructure, weak law enforcement authorities and speed overrun. In the United States, for example, distracted driving in 2022 was associated with at least eight percent of fatal car accidents.
As a responsible company citizen, BMW must ensure that its vehicles and customers do not contribute to this escalation problem. The OEM, based in Munich, has a reputation for aggressive driving-a perception that is best recorded by A Wall Street Journal Headline, the proclaimed: “BMW drivers are really idiots.” A complex user interface that makes its cars more difficult to use would only tighten the problem.
