‘Users have control over the data’
Mr May, electric and self-autonomous driving is the biggest topic when it comes to the future of the car industry. Above all, when it comes to autonomous driving, that is connectivity, but also networking of cars and digitalization are the key factors. BMW is strongly committed to being at the forefront of this. Do you see yourself as industry pioneers? How would you classify yourself? In terms of digitalization, BMW has been in a very good position for a number of years. We already have a fleet of 8500 cars, which are connected and on the road. Now the next stage has been launched to bring personalized experiences to the car, so that the driver can experience in the digital life not only outside, but inside too. How can I imagine that? We have our “Connected Drive Services” offer. You get the current vehicle information as well as traffic information through their navigation system. And with our new platform called “BMW-Connected”, we now have an opportunity to personalize their personal customer profile for the car. That is, of course, if you switch from one BMW to the next, they will take their personal profile and their new BMW will adapt to it. In the case of electric cars, German car-makers have often been accused of lagging behind the competition. Where are the German car-makers, where is BMW? I believe all competitors have made great efforts here, especially with regard to the new players who want to penetrate this market. They are classic Internet companies like Google, Apple and so on. By managing the driving experience, we have direct access to all sensors, camera systems etc, we can ultimately make the driving experience digital. You mentioned Google and Apple, who are making strides not only in electric cars but self-driving cars too. Do you see these companies as a cooperation partner, a competitor, or as inspiration? I would call it “co-opetition”! There are certainly areas where we co-operate. For example, to bring Apple experiences into the car via Apple CarPlay.
