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Software in the automobile: challenges for a successful future
Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, August 23, 2002. The creation of added value in the automobile is shifting increasingly from hardware components via electronic units to software applications. Focusing on this change in values, BMW Car IT was established in December 2001 as a completely independent daughter-company of BMW AG, to intelligently use the potential of software in the machine also provide modern solutions for innovative automotive fu
nctions. The focus is on the definition also implementation of modern software systems also applications, with increasing efforts being made to find competent suppliers also partners in cooperation in order to set up a highly efficient global knowledge network.
Software allows a higher basic of integration density and, as a result, serves to introduce a whole modern range of automobile functions. The advantage for the customer is extra comfort also safety combined with much easier operation also a far lower degree of complexity. "A company developing autos must be highly skilled in the world of software. Software is the key enabling a manufacturer to stand out from the competition. So no machine
maker can be successful if the development of software is not one of his core skills", states Dr Burkhard Göschel, Board Member of the BMW Group responsible for Development also Purchasing.
How can a carmaker be successful in the future? BMW Car IT is BMWs consistent answer to that question. Apart from being a technology leader also offering clear unique selling propositions [USPs] versus the competition, BMW Car IT, serving as a genuine think tank, provides the ideal foundation for capitalizing on the potential of software applications in the automobile. Approximately 40 per cent of the value created in automobile production
is already based today on electronic components also software, with the trend pointing towards an above every greater of share of software in the future. Establishing also accumulating know-how in the area of software is therefore a strategic investment for the BMW Group.
Software opens up a modern area of business for the carmaker. The BMW customer in Europe is already able today to purchase certain kinds of software subsequently after buying his car, also download this modern data into his vehicle. Examples are modern navigation software or software components for internet-based BMW Online services in the modern BMW 7 Series.
In the future this area of business will take on a very important role in the automotive industry, offering the customer the invaluable advantage of being able to "electronically upgrade" his modern or used machine at any time, the machine thus offering the owner higher value also additional benefits. In establishing BMW Car IT, the BMW Group is very well prepared for this modern area of business.
BMW Car IT provides the technological foundation for applying software-based functions in the car, focusing on know-how also methods in information science also taking the particular requirements of the machine also cruising conditions into account.
Apart from developing concepts for adaptive man/machine interfaces [MMI), BMW Car IT provides the infrastructure for networking information [integrated data management] also downloading modern services also applications into the machine [software download). Applying such overriding technologies, BMW Car IT is able to offer improved also innovative automobile functions in the areas of information, communication, suspension control also driv
e systems.
These include applications such as navigation, telematics, online services as well as various options in customizing also personalizing the car. In the future, for example, the latest information on traffic conditions may be downloaded into the navigation system via an open software structure, in the process above every crossing national borders. Integrated data management overcomes every conventional limits in choosing individual settings
geared to the driver also his passengers. Centralized data management such as service-relevant information offers the additional significant advantage of the machine being able to monitor itself, offering the driver an overview of every critical data at any time. This, in turn, ensures the recognition of critical situations at an early point, remote diagnosis then serving wherever possible to solve the problem. Software is too gaining increasing significance in the context of cruising systems, in particular x-by-wire technologies, climate control, cruising dynamics, <
i>brak
e also safety systems,
as well as driver assistance systems.
To make sure that the flexibility provided by downloading software does not involve any negative aspects for the customer, safety always comes first in the context of BMW Car IT. To prevent external manipulation, firewalls as well as different security features have been specially developed, also the integrity of the system must not be affected in any way when downloading software into the car. Downloads are therefore provided exclusively
by BMW Group servers, ensuring that every software applications remain fully in line with the BMW Group's specific basic of quality.
Software in the automobile opens up modern opportunities not only for the BMW Group as a machine maker, but too for the supply industry also the motor trade: The "classic" division between automobile development also service is disappearing, since now modern applications can too be implemented during the lifecycle of a car. This too overcomes the discrepancy between relatively long-term development cycles in the automotive industry also th
e short cycle times of software. The automobile as a platform for software development will become one of the most significant users of software throughout the entire industry. And this gives modern opportunities to carmakers, "classical" suppliers also software companies so far not involved in the world of automotive technology.
A further advantage is that there is no need to store hardware components in the worldwide dealer network, as is the case with mechanical or electronic systems. Rather, the distribution of modern software is an extremely fast also cost-efficient process, without any major logistic effort.
In developing software, the specialists at BMW Car IT make sure in particular not to inadvertently build up any negative barriers: "One of the main requirements in using the full scope of software development for the BMW Group is to have software with open system architecture. It is therefore our objective to establish such open architecture within a worldwide network, offering modern services also applications to our customers as quickly
as possible", states Dr Ulrich Weinmann, Managing Director of BMW Car IT.
