The global chip shortage crisis also called “chipageddon” by the creative ones in the internet continues to rage on. Multiple automakers are coming up with ways to continue their vehicle production amid the shortage.
After Mercedes announced their new measure to deal with the shortage, BMW is doing the same today. In an effort to maintain its current production levels BMW will ship some of its popular models without touchscreens.
The affected models include the BMW 3 and 4 series (excluding the i4 electric vehicle), the BMW X5, X6, X7 and the Z4.
“This measure is a result of the industry-wide supply chain issues which are affecting automotive manufacturing worldwide and causing limitations on the availability of some features or options,” said BMW to Edmunds.
As a consolation, customers who had ordered the affected models before this announcement will get a $500 credit due to” deletion of touchscreen” as BMW claimed.
Drivers will, however, still get access to some features through the center console knob and voice assistant to navigate the infotainment system. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will work too.
Additional bad news covers BMW’s with the Parking Assist Package, included in this option is the Backup feature that can remember the last several hundred feet of your journey, for instance, while pulling into a difficult driveway or garage it can steer the car automatically to help you back out, while you work the throttle and brake. This Backup feature will be missing as a result of the chip shortage.
It is unclear how long the affected models will ship without the touchscreen or if other models will be added to this list.