BMW just told its customers that the climate controls might come back. It also told Apple that the instrument cluster never will.
Both messages came from the same person in the same interview. Claudia Maier, manager of digital technology for the Neue Klasse models, spoke with Australian outlet Carsales at the international launch of the new 3 Series and i3. One answer was soft, and the other was a locked door.
Start with the soft one. The Neue Klasse cabin is the most radical interior BMW has ever shipped, and it is spreading across the i3, iX3, iX4, X5, iX5, 7 Series and i7.
The traditional instrument cluster is gone. In its place sits a configurable projection running along the base of the windshield, paired with a 17.9-inch central touchscreen that swallows most infotainment duties. Higher trims add a second screen for the front passenger.
The rotary iDrive controller, once BMW’s best argument against touchscreen chaos, has been retired. Probably for good.
Maier says the company is “very confident” in its “right information at the right time and right way” concept. Then she left a window cracked.
“But of course, I think you always have to take care of customer feedback,” she said. “If there is a high demand on specific things, we always care about that.”
She named climate functions and proper steering wheel buttons as candidates. That is the entire commitment, with no confirmed plan to restore either.
BMW is also not cornered. The second-generation iX3 earned full marks under Euro NCAP’s latest requirements for essential physical controls.
The cars keep indicator and wiper stalks, a physical volume control, and dedicated demist shortcuts. No regulator is forcing Munich’s hand.
So the only pressure that could move BMW is owners complaining loudly enough, for long enough. Even then, the clock runs slow.
Adding switches to an existing dashboard means real reengineering, and a mid-cycle facelift is an unlikely venue for it. The realistic window is the next generation of cabins.
BMW has not finished rolling out this one yet. Anyone hoping for a dedicated climate panel this decade will likely be disappointed.
Now the locked door.
BMW has officially ruled out Apple CarPlay Ultra. The newer system reaches beyond the center screen into the instrument cluster and other displays, and can tie into vehicle functions such as climate. In practice, it lets Apple run more of the car.
Maier did not frame that as a design call. She framed it as ownership.
“It’s part of philosophy. We want to keep the data [in-house], because we want to have it very secure,” she said.
Standard wireless CarPlay and Android Auto stay, confined to the central display. Maier said there have been no discussions about removing them, and that customers should not be forced into BMW’s own software.
Put the two answers side by side and the hierarchy is obvious. The things a driver touches every day, the fan speed, the temperature, the buttons under a thumb, are open to a vote. The digital architecture underneath, and the data it produces, is not on the ballot.
Tesla taught the industry to move everything onto glass, and most automakers followed. Some are now walking it back. BMW wants credit for listening while it keeps the keys.
The question is how much noise buyers are willing to make. And whether Munich is still listening when the next cabin hits the drawing board.
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