BMW Says Cars Are Now Defined by Software, Not Engines

A Sign of the Times

Is the era of the simple car coming to an end, or is pushing the boundaries of software development the new normal? Either way, cars are relying more and more on programming, and there’s no stopping that train whether we like it or not.

BMW is well aware of this, to the point that BMW’s development chief had declared that vehicle design is defined more by software than hardware. “In the past, platforms were largely defined by body styles and engine layouts. Today, digital functions and software are at the core of everything we do,” said Joachim Post in an interview with Automobilwoche (via Automotive News).

China is Reshaping the Industry

While there is still a degree of skepticism, there’s no denying that China has forced legacy automakers to rethink how cars are designed. The country is the world’s biggest market, and everyone wants a slice of the big pie. Chinese automakers have prioritized software development, and their home market has accepted that as the norm. Anything that isn’t up to par with homegrown products is quickly relegated to the back of the pie.

That’s why BMW is further doubling down on tech. Adapting software to local markets has become key to success in China, highlighting how quickly and flexibly manufacturers have to be to make an impact in that market.

So far, BMW is keeping pace, as Automotive News reported that ‘more than 70 percent of BMW’s infotainment software is already tailored to local requirements.’ The thing is, legacy automakers have to be way ahead of the curve if they want to stay competitive.

Neue Klasse is a Response to the Tech Revolution

The iX3 and the recently unveiled i3 will be key to strengthening BMW’s technology push in the coming years. At the center of all of this is the ‘Heart of Joy,’ a centralized control unit that combines powertrain, drivetrain, braking, and energy management into a single package. In theory, it reduces the need to add multiple electronic control units, streamlining and simplifying manufacturing while speeding up processing via the car’s ‘superbrain.’

Of course, building the said ‘superbrain’ requires significant investment, and BMW has done so by employing thousands of software engineers worldwide. Per Automotive News, over 10,000 of those are currently working on the company’s in-house cloud-based platform dubbed Codecraft. At the same time, BMW will continuously improve and enhance its current technologies and make them available to customers via over-the-air updates.

There will be challenges, of course, as Post explained that delivering over-the-air updates reliably is a ‘major hurdle.’ “It’s not that simple. Stability in series production is a real challenge – but that’s exactly what we’re good at,” said the executive. Of course, BMW needs to sell a good number of its Neue Klasse models to push forward with its plans. But with the iX3 receiving a good amount of orders in Europe, the folks from Munich might just be able to achieve that.