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      02-28-2019, 01:34 PM   #31
xlover
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Drives: 2023 X7 40i
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Boston

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Part of the overall issue is that bmw doesn't do a good job of showing how much better idrive is than car play or android auto at certain things.

They also don't offer the full idrive experience on every model... customer has to option up to it. That is where I think they are missing out, the average customer who just wants a simple way to interact with Waze, maps, phone, messages and doesn't want to order or interact with the factory nav is looking for CarPlay/android auto. Just about every other brand offers those features aimed at the below nav level systems even though they are offered lineup wide.

In the US market anyway they are seen as "standard features" and bmw doesn't seem to get that. They are going out of their way to push customers toward their solution vs democratizing it based on the consumers choice. Clearly they are comfortable with their profitability and sales projections even though some buyers are walking due to either charging for CarPlay or not offering android auto. It may be small potatoes overall but because of the high profile of those two offerings and they being offered standard on 20k cars, the optics of it is significantly worse for the brand. I think they are going to feel it most over time, maybe not with returning buyers who are used to idrive integration but new buyers looking to come into the brand will just be reinforced with the worst parts of the brands reputation for being over priced and forcing customers to buy their way.
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