Due to the shortage of chips, BMW will remove the touchscreens from its new vehicles.

While other automakers have to pause production or cut other functions in their vehicles, this abandonment of touchscreens is a big deal, especially since touchscreens are the standard feature in vehicles these days and don’t affect how you interact with the vehicle on a daily basis.

BMW removes touchscreens

According to a forum post at BimmerFest, some affected vehicles, which include the 3-series sedans as well as the X5, X6 and X7 SUVs and crossovers, will also lose access to the reversing assistant feature, which returns for you after the recording drove through them forward.

The post also states that vehicles that ship without touchscreens come with $ 500 credit and require both a software update and the customer to sign a form with the dealer in order to receive confirm that they know about the removal of the feature.

Instead of the touchscreen, users have to rely on a controller in the center console that has touchpad-like capabilities.

It’s a divisive input option among reviewers, but most people doubt that consumers would select it using the touchscreen under normal circumstances, according to The Verge.

What’s worse is that with the $ 500 they save from the removal, people can’t install a touchscreen.

At this point, it may be best to just try it out and wait, while the chip shortage is expected to last through at least 2023, vehicles are typically a long-term purchase. In 2030, consumers may be using a touchpad instead of a touchscreen.

BMW isn’t the only company cutting its vehicles down to weather the chip shortage.

GM has also dropped its features, from the HD radio and built-in wireless charging on some car models, to serious omissions like fuel management modules and auto-stop-start on some of its V8s and the much-touted Super Cruise hands-free mode, according to Engadget.

Also read: How Tesla can produce cars despite a shortage of chips, plant to be closed; Musk is the best software team in the world

Effects of the global chip shortage

According to ZDNET, semiconductor shortages will cost the auto industry $ 210 billion in lost revenue.

The coronavirus pandemic had hit so many supply chains, but the supply chain problems in the semiconductor business hit the auto industry hard, with giant corporations like Volkswagen and BW, Ford and General Motors all warning of the impact the chip shortage could have on manufacturing.

AlixPartners has nearly doubled its forecast of estimated losses since May, from $ 110 billion to $ 210 billion. It predicts automakers won’t produce 7.7 million units in 2021, up from 3.9 million in their May forecast.

The decline in production is mainly, but not, due to global chip scarcity.

Chip foundries or semiconductor contract manufacturers are concentrating their investments in higher-quality chips for computers and smartphones with the help of new manufacturing processes.

The auto industry got caught because vehicles use cheaper chips made with older production techniques for the microcontrollers.

For example, Intel is struggling to achieve a 7 nm process. IBM is experimenting with 2nm technology. While semiconductor giant TSMC announced in July that it would increase MCU output by 30%, the automotive industry accounted for less than 5% of TSMC’s sales in the first quarter of 2021.

The company predicted that global chip supply would remain limited until at least 2023.

Related article: Bosch China believes chip shortages will intensify over the next year | Supply will remain “very low” for the remaining three months of 2021

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Written by Sophie Webster

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