BMW ships cars without Apple, Google tech

BMW is shipping new cars without Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality after the automaker switched chip suppliers in a move that helped it navigate the ongoing semiconductor shortage.

Customers are being asked to wait for an over-the-air update that will install new software “by the end of June at the latest,” BMW said in an emailed statement.

“The chips built into these cars in the first four months of this year need updated software in order to be fully functional and offer Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and Wi-Fi capability,” the statement said.

The company didn’t say how many models and which regions are affected, but customers from the U.S., Italy, Spain, the UK, and France have posted in forums saying their new BMWs have been delivered without the functionality.

Models affected include the code 6P1 in their specification.

Automakers across the globe are having to find temporary solutions to enable production to continue amid the prolonged shortage of chips as well as other components.

BMW also said it had stopped offering manual transmission options for its Mini range, citing unspecified shortages.

“In order to secure maximum production output to meet increasing customer demand, our product offer needs to be simplified,” the company said in a separate emailed statement. “This solution is the most effective way to ensure production stability so that we can continue to supply all our customers with new Minis.”

Mini’s deletion of the manual transmission option was first reported by Autocar magazine.

Mercedes-Benz has built cars without some parts to be able to retrofit them later, the company said on an earnings call this week.

“In the first quarter, we decided to build vehicles with some critical components lacking as we do expect them to be delivered” in the second or third quarter, Chief Financial Officer Harald Wilhelm said on the call.

Infotainment supplier Harman has been working with automakers to redesign its products to reduce chip content and keep production moving.

“In some cases, we were able de-content some of our products and keep this customer experience on the same level,” Harman Automotive boss Christian Sobottka told Automotive News Europe. “The quick redesign and the de-contenting in many cases avoided a week-long [plant] shutdown.”

European first-quarter sales fell 19 percent because of the constrained supply of chips and other components, figures from market researcher Dataforce show.

The drop represents a loss of more than a quarter million cars compared with the first quarter of 2021.

Some automakers have been harder hit than others, with Stellantis down 31 percent, Volkswagen Group slipping 24 percent, BMW falling 23 percent and Mercedes also down 23 percent.