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BMW ramps up vehicle connectivity

ROB MAETZIG

Last updated 10:13 01/10/2014

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SMARTPHONE CONNECT: BMW's new ConnectedDrive Services and Apps provides access to a big range of smartphone apps for convenient use in the vehicle via the BMW iDrive and control display.

At an airport carpark and can't remember where you've parked your vehicle? Driving to another town and want to know what the weather's like there? Need to check your emails from your car?

All these functions are now available in BMW vehicles via an intelligent in-car connectivity system called ConnectedDrive Services and Apps, which has just been launched in New Zealand.

BMW is already the world's leading supplier of online-based in-car service, and in 2007 it was the first company to integrate with the Apple iPhone using interface technology.

Now the company has taken in-car connectivity to another level with a new feature called ConnectedDrive Services and Apps, which joins forces with the already available ConnectedDrive Driver Assistance. 

The Driver Assistance technology has been on the New Zealand market in selected models for several years and provides driver support such as parking assistance, head-up display, night vision with dynamic light spot, and anti- dazzle high-beam assist.

Services and Apps offers increased infotainment, safety and convenience. It's available via a permanently installed SIM card that is fitted to all ConnectedDrive-enabled vehicles, and it allows the flow of data and voice transfer to and from the vehicle.

Its wide range of features includes helping owners remember when a service is due, automatically calling roadside assistance in the event of a breakdown, monitoring the condition of the car's battery, and activating an emergency call if the vehicle is in an accident and an airbag deploys.

It also serves as a prerequisite for other ConnectedDrive Services and Apps features such as remote services, concierge services, real-time traffic information, and internet functionality.

The new system also provides access to a big range of "BMW- enabled" smartphone apps for convenient use in the vehicle via the BMW iDrive and control display. These are available for both iOS and android systems and include Facebook and Twitter, web radio, news, Wiki local, Aupeo, Stitcher, Pandora, Last Mile, EcoPro Analyser and many more.

Third-party apps mean the infotainment possibilities are virtually boundless.

For example, a My BMW Remote app connects customers directly to their car via an app installed on their smartphone. This allows remote control of features such as ventilation to reduce the heat in the vehicle on a hot summer's day before the owner reaches it, remote lock and unlock, remote headlight flash, remote horn activation, a vehicle finder that displays its location on a map within a radius of 1500 metres, and transfer of Google local search results to the vehicle's navigation system.

Concierge services allow the BMW customer access to an on- call personal assistant via a dedicated BMW ConnectedDrive Call Centre. The concierge will provide assistance by finding such things as a suitable restaurant, destination information, an ATM or a fuel station, then send the details to the vehicle's navigation system.

Internet is available only for ConnectedDrive-enabled vehicles with BMW's top Navigation System Professional, and it provides access to the internet's many possibilities via the iDrive controller and high-resolution display. 

All BMW ConnectedDrive- enabled vehicles leave the factory with the inbuilt SIM card already connected and the standard BMW TeleServices and Intelligent Emergency Call functions activated. BMW 6 Series and 7 Series and BMW i models have the full suite of ConnectedDrive Services and Apps equipped as standard.

Customers can opt to have the SIM card disconnected. This action will deactivate all BMW ConnectedDrive services including TeleServices and Intelligent Emergency Call. This can be reconnected at any time through the My BMW ConnectedDrive Online Portal or by contacting an authorised BMW dealership.

BMW New Zealand managing director Nisan Englert says access to these technologies will be a revolution for consumers.

"Whether it is connectivity to the vehicle through the driver- assist features and the remote apps, or to the outside world via the online services, just about every conceivable need has been considered."

- Taranaki Daily News