A long-time holdout for the inclusion of smartphone integration support via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, BMW will be offering compatibility with the software feature via US$300 upgrade option to buyers of its 2-Series.
The news comes as a leaked price listing for the upcoming 2-Series revision for 2016 in North America revealed the that the Munich automaker will be giving owners the option of having CarPlay support (but not Android Auto, yet?).
According to the leaked document, the US$300 (nearly AU$400) paywall to access Apple CarPlay will apply to all most variants of its 2-Series equipped with the ‘Professional’ iDrive infotainment and navigation unit, which includes the 230i and the M240i.
BMW will be following this with a rollout of CarPlay compatibility to other models in both North American and Europe for the 2017 model year such as the M3, M4, X5 M, and X6 M. Curiously, the marque’s best-selling models such as the 3-Series and 5-Series were not mentioned.
With this tepid launch of Apple CarPlay support into its 2-Series, BMW joins automakers such as Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Ford, Hyundai, Peugeot, Ferrari, Subaru, Volvo, and others that already offer support for it.
Many of those have the software pre-installed in most of their models and certainly not behind a hefty fee, so it’s not clear why BMW has chosen to allow support for it but simultaneously discourage buyers from using it in this way.
Perhaps they’re concerned that the smartphone-like interface would undermine their own iDrive system and the many years they have spent developing and refining it. It’s still a somewhat obtuse move as BMW was previously known for quick adoption of new convenicne features.
It was one of the first manufacturers to support Apple iPod music playback and connectivity a decade ago and integrate some of the MP3 player’s functions into the car’s own switchgear for easier operation.
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