BMW model update measures for autumn 2023.

Munich. The new features set to enhance the BMW model line-up from autumn 2023 centre on the latest advances in terms of digitalisation. The new BMW X1 and BMW 2 Series Active Tourer will both be equipped with the upgraded BMW iDrive featuring QuickSelect and BMW Operating System 9 from November 2023. The BMW Digital Premium offering, with its highly customisable selection of online-based services, is also being introduced in both model series at the same time. Plus, extra digital services will be made available for a large number of current models via Remote Software Upgrade. Meanwhile, an extended range of functions will also add to the appeal of the My BMW App.

When it comes to automated driving systems, the highlight is without doubt the new Highway Assistant, which is also due to become available for models in the BMW 7 Series range from March 2024 following its premiere in the new 5 Series Sedan. Autumn 2023 will also bring additions to the choice of exterior colours and light-alloy wheels for selected models.

More intuitive and easier to use than ever: new BMW iDrive with QuickSelect.

From November 2023, the upgraded BMW iDrive with QuickSelect will be fitted as standard in all model variants of the new BMW X1, the all-electric BMW iX1 and the new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, enabling numerous vehicle functions to be operated even more intuitively and easily. The latest incarnation of the display and control/operation system is based on BMW Operating System 9 and is packaged together with the BMW Curved Display and BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant.

The new BMW iDrive features a redesigned home screen and the QuickSelect rapid-access tech, bringing an improved menu structure that takes its cue from consumer electronics devices. The new home screen displays the navigation system’s map view or other individually configurable graphics in the control display at all times. On the same level, function icons appear in a vertical arrangement on the driver’s side of the display. Drivers can switch between icons with a vertical swipe of the finger. The QuickSelect feature allows the function selected in this way to be activated directly without having to enter a submenu.

BMW Operating System 9 was developed in-house by the BMW Group and is based on an Android Open Source Project (AOSP) software stack for the first time. It provides the basis for a broader offering of digital content that serves information and entertainment, shorter function update cycles and improved accessibility to a host of specific online services.

New BMW Digital Premium offering: customised selection of gaming, video & music streaming and other online services.

The new BMW Digital Premium offering will be brought out in Germany in November 2023 alongside the introduction of BMW Operating System 9. It will be available as an option for BMW X1, BMW iX1 and BMW 2 Series Active Tourer models and can be ordered from the BMW ConnectedDrive Store, which has now been expanded with the addition of further third-party apps. This means customers can enjoy in-car use of all the apps available in their country, e.g. for video and music streaming, news or gaming, as part of a package. In addition to this, BMW Digital Premium also includes enhanced navigation functions along with added customisation options thanks to extra My Modes, for instance.

As with all other ConnectedDrive Upgrades, BMW Digital Premium can be obtained from the ConnectedDrive Store either on the website, in the My BMW App or directly in the car. And, from November 2023, it will be even easier for customers to add ConnectedDrive Upgrades, as it will then be possible to not just select them directly from their vehicle, but to pay for them at the same time. In other words, instead of being redirected to the app or internet to complete their order, customers will be able to carry out the entire process, including payment, from the comfort of their car.

This new offering is designed to allow customers to put together a customised selection of digital services from the growing variety on offer – one that is perfectly suited to their personal requirements. BMW Digital Premium is available in Germany, for example, for €9.98 a month or from mid-2024 (provisionally) for an annual fee of €99 (both including VAT). The package also covers data usage for all digital services and the apps available from the BMW ConnectedDrive Store, including music and video streaming. Customers can take advantage of a free three-month trial period that will allow them to sample all the BMW Digital Premium services and content.

A new form of in-car gaming unique in the automotive sector is one of the highlights of BMW Digital Premium. BMW is presenting a wide selection of casual games that use a smartphone as the controller in collaboration with the AirConsole gaming platform. The games can be played in either solo or multiplayer mode when the vehicle is stationary as a way of passing the time while e.g. waiting for the high-voltage battery in the BMW iX1 or the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer plug-in hybrid models to recharge. About ten titles will initially be available to play, including racing, sport, quiz and skill games, and the range will continue to grow.

Besides audio streaming, BMW Digital Premium also lets the occupants enjoy a wide variety of video streaming services (powered by Xperi TiVo) on the control display while the car is stationary. This offers customers access to an ever-growing selection of aggregated video content, such as news and live or on-demand streaming of movies and series, for instance, along with country-specific content. Available with BMW Digital Premium in the USA, UK, South Korea, France, Italy, Germany and Spain, the Video App will feature, among other things, the Pluto, Bloomberg Television, Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera and TED portals. In Germany, the package will additionally include the tagesschau news service app as well as the popular streaming service JOYN. Country-specific content will also be offered from the outset in Italy and the USA. The portfolio of video streaming platforms will keep evolving and will be gradually rolled out to other countries too.

Enhanced navigation functions, additional My Modes.

One of the key benefits of BMW Digital Premium is the enhanced functionality of the cloud-based navigation system BMW Maps. For example, real-time traffic information (RTTI) with colour coding shows how freely traffic is flowing across the entire map area, even if route guidance is not activated. Other functions include 3D visualisation of buildings and surrounding elements in the map view and extended information on parking facilities. The driver is also proactively notified of the current traffic situation and estimated time of arrival when setting out to destinations they drive to regularly. If necessary, the system will even propose an alternative route. Turn-off instructions and lane recommendations are shown in realistic form in both the information display and the optional BMW Head-Up Display.

In Germany and other European countries, BMW Digital Premium offers the additional benefit of allowing drivers to pay parking fees directly from their vehicle in parking zones that support this payment method. And drivers in Germany also have the option of settling fuel bills digitally from their car after refuelling at participating filling stations. In both cases, payment is made using a credit card that is first registered with the partner company Parkopedia via the My BMW App.

In addition, BMW Digital Premium adds Expressive Mode, Relax Mode and Digital Art Mode to the choice of My Modes, opening up still greater scope for customising the driving experience. And it also brings new variants for both the Welcome Light sequence and the graphics visualising the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. 

Current Remote Software Upgrades for enhanced driving pleasure.

The Remote Software Upgrades bring existing digital functions right up to date. At the same time, new features and improvements to quality can also be imported into the car over the air. The latest in-car gaming and video-streaming services for BMW models will be made available in this way for the majority of vehicles with BMW Operating System 8.5 in autumn 2023.

Customers also receive notification of the Remote Software Upgrades in the My BMW App. Another option is for upgrades to be downloaded via the My BMW App and transferred to the vehicle before initiating the installation process there.

Extra functions for the My BMW App.

The My BMW App for smartphones provides customers with a direct link to their car and, depending on the vehicle configuration and country, offers them the benefit of numerous functions designed to make day-to-day mobility even more straightforward. This includes information transferred to the user’s smartphone on their vehicle’s status, servicing requirements, charging status and range, as well as remote access to functions for vehicle locating, locking and unlocking the doors, climate control and monitoring the car’s immediate vicinity. Charging-optimised routes can also be planned via the My BMW App and destination addresses sent from a smartphone to the vehicle’s navigation system. From autumn 2023, it will also be possible to enter mid-journey stops as part of the process.

And from March 2024, customers with compatible Android smartphones will also be able to use the My BMW App to operate the Remote Control Parking and Manoeuvre Assistant functions available with the optional Parking Assistant Professional and BMW Digital Key Plus. The My BMW App will also indicate the status of the alarm system on suitably equipped vehicles and show how it can be fully or partially activated.

New Highway Assistant also coming soon for the BMW 7 Series.

BMW has become the first carmaker to gain approval from Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority for semi-automated driving at speeds up to 130 km/h (81 mph). As a result, the BMW Highway Assistant already available in the USA and Canada is now set to become an extremely innovative component of the optional Driving Assistant Professional package in Germany too. The new function lets the driver take their hands off the steering wheel and put them in a comfortable position while driving. First launched in the new BMW 5 Series Sedan, it will also become available to use in the BMW 7 Series luxury sedan from spring 2024.

The BMW Highway Assistant can operate on multi-lane roads with structurally separated carriageways, with the function’s availability indicated to the driver in the information display. On suitably designated stretches of road, the driver is able to take their hands off the steering wheel for longer periods and position them comfortably, provided they continue to pay attention to what is happening on the road and are able to take over the steering again at any time. The Active Lane Change Assistant with eye confirmation included as part of the new BMW Highway Assistant adds another layer to the automated driving experience. As soon as the traffic situation permits, it is capable of performing the necessary steering movements for an overtaking manoeuvre, for example, and adjusting the vehicle’s speed as required. Plus, for the first time, the driver is able to initiate a lane change suggested by this system by simply looking in the exterior mirror to confirm it.

Additional exterior colour for the new BMW 5 Series Sedan, new 21-inch light-alloy wheels for the 7 Series.

A new shade is already being added to the selection of exterior colours for the new BMW 5 Series Sedan, just a short time after its launch. The Fire Red metallic paint finish will be made available for the BMW i5 M60 xDrive Sedan (electric power consumption combined: 20.6 – 18.2 kWh/100 km in the WLTP cycle) from November 2023, as well as for all other model variants of the new business sedan specified with the M Sport package.

A further highly exclusive design of light-alloy wheel will be added to the range of optional extras for the BMW 7 Series from November 2023. At the same time, 21-inch BMW Individual light-alloy wheels in multi-spoke design will also be available for all model variants of the luxury sedan. They have a bi-colour finish and are fitted with mixed-size tyres.

All of the stated model variants, equipment features, technical data and fuel/electric power consumption and emissions figures relate to the offering in the German market.