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.”
